The Jedi Chronicles: A New Force Book One
by TheRoseOfGryffindor
Summary: Its 8 Years after the death of Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker has been sent back to his home planet of Tatooine, There he meets a stranger who will unlock his destiny. NOTE: I have entirely disregarded the existence of any EU books besides my own!
1. Prologue The Old and The New

Prologue

It was a humid day on the rain soaked planet of Merinth, large thunder clouds were massing in the East. The ever-present moisture seemed to sap the will power out of the inhabitants driven out of their cool dry homes by appointments or commercial pursuits.

Inside the Galactic houses of Government however, the Senators, advisers, and dignitaries were filing into the crisp coolness of the spacious council chamber, with its walls of polished marble and gleaming floor of grey granite. The Senate's council chamber had a serene air to it despite its relatively young age. Merinth had been chosen as the Galactic Capitol shortly after the seemingly complete destruction of the Empire. At last, the council members were assembled. They took their designated seats, grateful to not be outside in the sweltering heat. In the center of the room sat the Chancellor; Lady Mon Mothma. The raised dais on which she sat faced a semicircle of perfectly arranged benches. The benches sat thirty people each, and there were six rows each one successively higher the further they were away from the Chancellor's seat. In between the Senators and the Chancellor was a large table on which virtual projections could be displayed in mid-air for the convenience of all. Behind the Chancellor sat the galaxy's three most beloved heroes along with their faithful companion and the sole representative of the Wookie race. Behind the dais on which Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca and the Chancellor were seated sat the military advisers; Generals Riekan, Madine, Dodonna, and Antilles along with their junior officer, Commander Sandmaster. Commander Sandmaster, despite the fact he had not participated in the Rebellion was extremely crucial in its aftermath, routing out Imperial resistance. He had arrived at Merinth over two years after the death of Emperor Palpatine, when the Republic was struggling with hidden Imperial outposts and convincing the cynics that the New Republic would not betray their trust. Searsy Sandmaster became vastly popular after discovering an Imperial hideout and almost single-handedly taking control of the post for the Republic. The room fell silent as the slender dignified form of Chancellor Mon Mothma stood to address the assembly. "Our communications analysts have been diligently deciphering the Imperial message that was intercepted by our outpost on the Tamjar system." She picked up a small remote control and clicked it, immediately a virtual projection of the decoded message appeared hovering above the table in front of the Chancellor. The message read; 'Mos Terra, Tatooine. Three days. Destruction of New Republic.' A tremor ran through the Senate. They thought of the freedom they had fought so hard to attain being destroyed once again. Many thought of long dead friends who had died for a cause that was now threatened by these unknown conspirators. Everyone on the council took all threats seriously, how could they not? They new the Republic was still feeble. One blow could wipe it out and they would have to start over once more. Han however believed in putting this fear into perspective and ended the stifling silence by saying… "It sounds like a trap." Luke smiled. Leave it to Han to break the awkward silence with a rash comment.

"Nevertheless" Leia said in her clear resonant voice. "We must send some troops to Tatooine, to discover whether it is a real or fictitious threat."

"I believe a small group or possibly one man could go to Mos Terra, leaving our forces here undiminished in size, in case this is only a distraction to put our attention elsewhere while the try to attack us here." General Dodonna was the eldest of the generals and he spoke with a wisdom that could not be ignored. "Whatever we do, it must be decided quickly the people we send will only have about 22 hours to arrive on Tatooine, and find the Loyalists."

"Wedge is right, we need to decide immediately what exactly it is we are going to do." Commander Sandmaster said, he was military minded and hated the constant bickering of politicians over matters of little or no consequence while the big problems remained unsolved.

"I propose we send you then. You are acquainted with the planet in question and should be able to easily apprehend the Imperials" The voice was sugary and vicious and vicious at the same time. Searsy looked at the speaker with a cold glare. Senator Sarn of Kiladea, he was possibly the most unhelpful and sniveling senator ever to be elected, and he and Searsy treated each other with the bitterest contempt. "Your knowledge of my state of affairs on the planet of Tatooine are somewhat lacking, Senator Sarn." Searsy said trying to keep his anger out of his voice. There was a brief silence and then the young commander continued. "I left my home planet seven years ago with a price on my head so large that every bounty hunter in the outer rim was searching for me. I am only too certain that the sum promised for my capture or death has risen since I left the rim territories." He paused for a moment remembering that if it hadn't been for the aid of his closest friend he would have never managed to escape. He owed that friend his life several times over and yet he had not even tried to make contact since he had left. He felt remorseful for his neglect. "My very presence on Tatooine would be more of a hindrance than a help to the Republic." His voice broke slightly as he remembered his home planet and the many friends he had left behind, some in graves and some living, or at least they had been when he left.

"Well if nor Commander Sandmaster then who?" Sarn asked anxiously hoping that Searsy would still be selected, thus sending his rival a mission fraught with peril more so for Searsy than for any other member of the council. There was a long period in which no one spoke, the cool council chamber seemed ominous now. Someone would have to go, but not Commander Sandmaster.

"I will go" came a soft but determined voice, which was recognizable to all present. Everyone turned to look at their General in Chief, the last of the Jedi Knights; Luke Skywalker.

Luke stood there under the gaze of many but his thoughts were with the mission he had just agreed to go on. He had volunteered to return to a planet that held only grief soaked memories. But why?... for the sake of a friend. He was not going to simply stand by while Searsy's enemies tried to get him murdered. Searsy was the best friend he had had since Biggs died and Luke knew Searsy so well that without even considering it for a moment he knew that were he in Searsy's position and he in his Searsy would have came to his aid without hesitation. Luke looked around him, the senators and councilors were in an uproar and Leia was tugging on his sleeve, trying to get his attention.

"What?"

"Luke, you don't have to do this, this mission could be dangerous." Leia said in a pleading tone.

"Come on Leia, give the kid a break, he hasn't done anything dangerous for a few years now. He needs to get away." Han interjected.

"Yeah, you make Tatooine sound like the dream location for a vacation, you really should have been a salesman Han." Luke teased as he headed off towards the exit doors. He wasn't going to wait around and be entreated by all of his friends to stay. Besides if he lingered Sarn and his pack of cadaver friends in the Senate might get their way anyways. After all Searsy wouldn't accept this act of charity easily and might volunteer to go just to stop Luke from going. He walked with a quick and determined pace, and left the building.

Searsy struggled to get to his friend's side, all pride or appreciation was almost void from his thoughts. There was someone on Tatooine Luke needed to know about, if he did that person could help him more than any other. He needed to share this special incite with Luke, but could not reach him. He tried to shove his way through the crowd of Senators that blocked his path. But after jostling several dignitaries and causing the Chancellor to stumble he realized how futile his pursuit was. Searsy sighed. 'Oh well' he thought, 'Commander Skywalker is a brave man, he'll do fine, as long as his pride doesn't come in between him and such a noble ally as…'

"So you were a smuggler before you came here, how interesting."

Searsy whipped around and glared at Sarn. "My past is of no consequence to you, or anyone else, now get out of my way Senator."

"Oh but it is, and will be." Sarn spoke in a low and threatening voice.

Once Searsy was outside, he could plainly see a white trail in the sky left by Luke's ship.

"May the Force be with you" he spoke these words quietly, and almost to himself.


	2. Chapter 1 Past and Present

Chapter One

It was late in the afternoon when Luke landed on Tatooine, exhausted. He flipped the switch to open the hatch of his ship desperate to leave its confines and be able to move his limbs. The top lifted bringing on an onslaught of hot air that seemed to be laying in wait to assail him. He had forgotten just how insufferable the heat that beat his home planet eighteen hours a day was. Two suns, twice as much heat he thought to himself as he got out of his ship. He took in his surroundings with satisfaction; he had certainly chosen the most out of the way place to land. He stood under the unwavering glare of the two suns in the middle of one of the most remote deserts on Tatooine, the Par-Liss; it covered the stretch of land all the way from the Dune Sea to Mos Terra. It was an inhospitable section of land, which even the Jawas and Sand People preferred to avoid. Luke was certain no one had noticed his arrival; after all, there was no one out there in this forsaken region to notice. Luke dusted himself off and then called up to Artoo Detoo. The droid made some mechanical squealing noises as it pulled itself out of standby mode and took in its surroundings.

"Hey Artoo" Luke said cheerfully. "I'm going to go to Mos Terra, you stay her and watch the ship."

Artoo signified with a couple long high-pitched sounds that he would much rather come with Luke.

"Not this time, sorry, I need someone to watch the ship. There might be Sand People out here," Luke said. "Though I don't know how they could survive in this desolate land" he added under his breath.

"I should be back sometime tomorrow. Take care of yourself Artoo."

Artoo made a resigned little beep and then swiveled his top in search of any oncoming danger. Luke walked, facing the twin suns as they vanished in a blaze of orange and pink. Tatoo One had already sunk below the horizon and Tatoo Two slipping out of sight. The few clouds that hung in the sky were illuminated in a fantastic array of varying shades. The forgotten beauty of Tatooine made Luke relaxed and thoughtful. Involuntarily Luke's mind started reviewing the long list of memories that connected him to Tatooine; some painful, some exciting and some were just simple, remembrances of a more effortless life that he had once lead. However, his reverie was cut short by the harsh reality that what once was can never be again, and that a person should live in the present. He needed to know where exactly the Imperials would be, a question not easily answered. He tried to remember the little he knew about Mos Terra, he had only been there once and he had quickly sped through only stopping to refuel, and his mind had been so occupied with reaching home that anything he might have noticed was just a blur. Suddenly the soothing silence of the desert was shattered by a distinctly human cry of distress, which abruptly ended. Luke scanned the surrounding area, there in the direction of the setting suns were several shadowy figures darting into the unknown as soon as Luke ignited his lightsaber. The faint glow of Tatoo Two was quickly disappearing. Luke charged forward hoping to gain the top of the dune before all light was gone from the sky. The Sand People scattered in a frenzy of shrill cries of terror. Luke reached the summit of the dune in time to see them disappear into the wasteland. He was apprehensive over whether or not the Sand People would return and how soon. He recalled Ben's words so many years ago… "The Sand People are easily frightened, buy they will return, and in greater numbers." He scanned the surrounding area; all light was now gone from the sky, so he listened intently for any sound of their return. He suddenly remembered the reason he had been driven to chase the Tusken Raiders; the scream, that clearly human cry of distress. He looked around panicked by the thought that the raiders had carried what he had come to rescue away with them. He squinted to look at the terrain searching for some form of life besides himself. He could see the rudimentary supplies necessary for a campsite, but where was the camper? He couldn't find any sort of lantern so either it had been carried away by the Sand People or this person had eyesight much better than his own. He began to doubt his surety over the humanness of the distressed being. He was quite certain nothing that dwelt on Tatooine could make a sound like that except if it was a member of the human race. He listened intently for one long minute hoping to hear what he could not see. The desert was still except for the blowing wind. He sighed, he did not want to leave the captured creature in the clutches of the Tusken Raiders, but what choice did he have, he was on a mission and his mission required speed, he was already running late. He was supposed to have been in Mos Terra by sunset, he could not spare any more time even to rescue some defenseless being from the Sand People. He felt miserable but his duty to the republic was more important than some desert wanderer who didn't have sense enough to avoid the Sand People. Luke looked up at the sky hoping to find his bearings once again; he also subconsciously wished that somehow the answer to this troubling matter of conscience would be written in the stars. He stared at the clear night sky. Were there more stars on Tatooine? or was it just that Merinth was so cloudy all the time, and its atmosphere so blurred by city lights that there didn't seem to be as many star there. He found the proper direction and then headed off that way still staring at the bright stars. As he reached the bottom of the dune, he struck his foot on something. The thing he had stumbled on sprang to its feet with unfathomable speed. Luke quickly drew his lightsaber, in preparation to hold this stranger at bay. His lightsaber suddenly shivered in his hand as it met the one thing that can resist a lightsaber: another lightsaber. Luke was caught off his guard by this fact, in dismay he asked.

"Who are you?"

A muffled voice replied…

"My name is of no concern to you unless you are an enemy, what are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to Mos Terra, I mean you no harm unless you are an Imperial."

The stranger lightly stepped forward and took Luke's free hand in a clasp of friendship.

"We are on the same side then, my name is Launa." The tone in which the stranger spoke her name was one that expected Luke to know exactly who she was, but Luke had been away from Tatooine so long that he didn't know the state of things and therefore did not know who this woman that stood before him was.

Luke smiled over the sudden amiableness of the stranger. "My name is Luke Skywalk… you're only a girl." He said taken aback by both the gender and smallness of his new acquaintance. The top of Launa's head would barely reach his chin if they were standing in front of each other.

Instantly Launa's purple lightsaber came up in front of Luke.

"I am twenty-seven, sir, and I think I deserve the proper amount of respect from a foreigner who is lost on my planet."

"I am not lost, and I have just as much rights to be on this planet as you do, I was born here." Luke was not used to having people threaten him and treat him as a stranger, this woman clearly had no idea who he was, and he was almost relieved by that fact. It was pleasant to have someone treat him exactly the way they treated everyone else, instead of gawking at him every time he passed like he was some rare exhibit in a museum. He was human just like everyone else so why couldn't people treat him like it.

"No you don't! you said your name was Luke Skywalker right? You have no right to claim Tatooine as your home planet; when it is you who have neglected this planet. You saved the galaxy but have let your own planet fall into the hands of Moff Connosten, you don't have the right to call Tatooine your home planet. You've left Tatooine to rot while you bask in the glories of your renown." Launa knew exactly who he was, and she liked him less because of who he was.

"That's not true! I do care about Tatooine"

"Then why doesn't it have a seat in the Senate of the New Republic, I would think you could afford to give it that much if you care about it at all."

"It does!"

"What?"

"Tatooine has a seat in the Galactic Senate, its representative is Kinsh Dagmood."

Launa was silent for a moment, then her face turned melancholy.

"I am sorry Luke Skywalker; I didn't realize the Republic was in such a dangerous position."

"What? How so?"

"Tatooine's representative is one of Connosten's leading advisers, and I imagine it is the same with the rest of the representatives of the systems under Connosten's control."

Luke looked appalled at the mere idea that spies had infiltrated the Senate.

"Who is Connosten?"

"You don't know… I thought you might be here to do something about him, you really have no idea who he is?" Launa said with a sigh.

"No, I don't"

"Well he was a Moff under the Empire, since its destruction he has illegally retained control of eight of the seventeen planets under his former jurisdiction as Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories, after the fall of the Hutts Connosten took over Tatooine as well." Launa looked up at Luke. "Listen what I said about you not caring about Tatooine I now realize how wrong I was, you just didn't know, and I do appreciate what you did for the galaxy even if Tatooine didn't reap any of the benefits of your heroism."

"Its okay, I don't hold it against you." Luke extended his hand to Launa. She took it in her firm grip and shook.

"Oh" Launa said surprised by the strange sensation of Luke's mechanical hand. "It looks real and its just like the one…" Launa trailed off. "How did it happen?"

"I lost it in a battle," Luke said as he thoughtfully flexed his mechanical fingers.

Launa looked back at Luke as she picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, her expression showed pity and gratitude in the same instance. She did not worship him as if he were some divinity as the rest of the galaxy did. She knew things about him that even Luke didn't know, things that made him seem just as human as her.

"Come on, I'll take you to Mos Terra." Launa said as she started out across the desert, Luke followed. Launa smiled as she started into her long loping stride that covered ground quickly. Luke was intrigued by this mysterious woman who treated him in a way no one had since the fall of the Empire: like he was real and was no better than anyone else.

"Luke, did you see any Sand People?" Launa asked suddenly grave with concern.

"Yeah, I chased them away. You screamed and I came to see if I could be of some assistance."

"Oh that, that was all an act, I screamed and fainted to get their attention off of me, hoping they'd take my meager camping supplies and leave me out of it. Its no wonder that you frightened the living force out of them, they have a legend about a man with a lightsaber and a mechanical hand who annihilated an entire settlement of theirs, that's so odd you and this legendary man both having a fake hand." Launa's humorous tone was forced, she didn't know how much she could tell Luke, hero or no she wasn't about to let all her closely guarded secrets out just because he had blown up a few things, and killed some bad guys. She knew things that should have died with the massacre of the Jedi, things that only someone who had proven their trustworthiness could be told, not to mention all the things she knew about Luke himself.

"You didn't harm any of the Sand People did you?" Launa asked with genuine unease.

"No, just frightened them off that's all."

"Good, they won't seek vengeance and they'll content themselves with the things I left at my camp. The Tusken Raiders aren't nearly as vicious as most people think, I hold them in higher regard than the Jawas, at least the Sand People try and avoid others unlike the Jawas who once you make one transaction with them will hound you for the rest of your life. Unless of course someone offers them a price to tell an interested party where you are, then they are more than willing to lose your patronage. Although maybe if the Sand People were more social, the populace would not think so badly of them; they can be quite civil when there is only one or two, its when they are in a hunting party that things can get a little daunting, like this evening. I have never encountered that many, that close before, it caught me off my guard, so I figured mock weakness would be the best way to avoid a confrontation with an entire pack. They usually aren't that bold, but with Tatooine's dearth of food and the high prices of what little food can be bought, not to mention the poverty of most of Tatooine do to Connosten's outrageous taxes. Even some of the elite and rich have fallen prey to Connosten's excessive taxation. You lived here once, you probably know of the Quay-seines family, second only to the Hutts in power and wealth. Well their eldest daughter does laundry, the father died in the famine that followed the Smuggler's Rebellion, the two sons tried to escape their unpleasant life on Tatooine but their space craft was shot down on its way out of Mos Espa, and Lady Quay-seines committed suicide soon after. I've been trying to get Marissa, the daughter, off of Tatooine, but no one will risk getting caught with a passenger that would not only endanger their career, but their personal safety as well as that of their ship."

"There's a scarcity of food?" Luke asked to reaffirm, food had always been scarce on Tatooine in comparison to other systems but for the locals to realize their own lack of food, they must be quite low.

"Yes, I fear if Connosten doesn't lower taxes soon we'll be forced to eat the sand, its just about the only thing left. Raising the taxes on Tatooine so astronomically is Connosten's own special way of punishing the planet for daring to rebel against him. He has also frozen all trade with other systems, except if you go through the government channels, which of course there is a heavy tariff for doing so. Not to mention there aren't as many pilots coming to our spaceports nowadays, unless they find it absolutely necessary, because there are also substantial landing fees charged on all pilots coming to or leaving any spaceport." Launa stated these facts in a dull tone that denoted her tiredness and her utter lack of complaint. She was speaking the truth, she wasn't looking for sympathy or help, she was just telling Luke how things were, and Luke was stunned. How could all this have happened in only the few years since his friend Searsy Sandmaster had left Tatooine? He and Searsy had discussed their mutual home planet several times, and Searsy had mentioned how tough times had been during the Smugglers Rebellion, but even then there was still free trade and food was as accessible as ever. Launa continued as if she were not just addressing Luke, but the sky and the sand and anything that might listen to her, as raw emotions of anger and acrimony bit through her words, along with an overwhelming weariness at seeing her countrymen oppressed and starving, all by the whim of some heinous dictator. "Before Connosten came into power" she began. "The streets were safer than ever, everyone was happy that the Hutts were no longer in power. We all hoped that with the mob leader's downfall that crime on Tatooine would drop off and we wouldn't have to carry blasters with us everywhere we went. That small portion of time was filled with happiness people laughed the spaceports were filled with the clamor of commerce and people gathered freely wherever they liked. Now out spaceports crawl with the worst of criminals, people who commit violent acts in a desperate attempt to regain some sense of humanness, not that the other creatures don't feel it too, but the decline of our planet has hit the human race the hardest. For more than any other creature on Tatooine humans are the most emotional. Our hopes had soared so high only to be ground into the sand." Luke thought that Launa might cry, any other woman who had borne that much sorrow would have been in tears by now, but she simply gritted her teeth and looked across the desert as if searching for something that she knew she would never find, but looked for anyways.


	3. Chapter 2 Alone?

Chapter Two

Launa and look were now within view of the city glow of Mos Terra. Their trek across the Par-Liss had taken less than half an hour.

"So Luke" Launa said in so hushed a tone that Luke immediately knew that the upcoming question was highly confidential. "How many Jedi are there?"

This question took Luke off guard but he didn't feel it would be dangerous for Launa to know the answer, the rest of the galaxy did, it was only here on this cloistered pile of sand, shut off from the rest of the universe that people did not know that there was only one Jedi in the whole galaxy.

"I'm the only one" Luke said solemnly, he had wanted to train his sister, but Leia declined the offer after the birth of her first child. She had told Luke that she did not feel she could be a good Jedi and a good mother at the same time.

Launa looked very somber for a moment and then smiled widely as if she were trying to keep herself from laughing.

"What is it that far fetched?"

"No, I was having a thought; you don't know the background so you wouldn't understand."

"So Launa" Luke said in quiet voice that denoted his question was one of a personal kind.

"Yes"

"Where did you get your lightsaber?"

"My uh… I made it." She could not answer that question, as much as she wanted to be honest with Luke she just could not tell him things that she had sworn to tell no one.

Launa and Luke had now entered the harsh glow of the city lights of Mos Terra. For the first time Launa and Luke saw each other clearly. Launa had golden hair that hung in trailing ringlets that ran down her back. She was strong, her well toned arms were exposed by the dull dark blue tank top that she wore under the cape that she had recently taken off. He stared into her eyes intently; he had seen eyes like hers before, peering at him from a concerned face many years back, but who? Someone who had meant a lot to him, someone he had lost, had possessed eyes like hers. He could not quite place the person who had been the owner of those keen but thoughtful eyes.

While Luke was mulling over this new enigma he had discovered, Launa was dealing with her own puzzle. She knew so much that no one else did, but she did not know what she wanted to know. She wanted desperately to ask Luke to exchange information; she knew a wealth of things that he had no idea about, and he knew how to train her to be Jedi, something she had wanted ever since she had heard about the Jedi Order. She couldn't do that though, she couldn't let him see through her cool and aloof pretenses, she couldn't humble herself enough to break out and ask him point blank if he would take her as his Padawan. No, her secrets would remain safely locked away in her mind until he asked her.

Luke looked over at Launa, he knew he was leaving her and joining his mission, he desperately wanted to ask her to come along, but it wasn't safe and she'd probably refuse anyways. She seemed like the very independent type. She had a life of her own and he would not be responsible for bringing any danger into Launa's seemingly uneventful life.

"Thanks for all of your help Launa."

"What was I supposed to do refuse to help the hero of the galaxy on his big important mission?" Launa said in a teasing tone. "I could go with you into Mos Terra if you want?"

That was as far as she was going to extend herself outside of her comfort zone, she had offered now it was his responsibility to deny or accept.

"I appreciate the offer Launa, but it is too dangerous, besides I can manage alone."

She had difficulty restraining herself from laughing uncontrollably, 'I appreciate the offer but it is too dangerous' Launa mimicked inside of her head.

"Well then, good-bye Luke" she said casually as she tossed him her cape. "This is to help disguise you a little, and May the Force be with you, always." Launa said as she turned back towards the Par-Liss.

"Thanks, May it be with you as well." Luke said turning to watch Launa depart, but she was already gone, it was as if she had just vanished into the desert night.

Luke stepped forward preparing to enter the unknown that lay before him. Letting go of himself, so that he could allow the Force to guide him to where he needed to go. Since the death of his master, Yoda, Luke had continued to make his sense of the Force more acute.

Luke threw his shoulders back and prepared himself for whatever might await him. Launa had warned him that the streets of Tatooine were precarious, full of gangs whose only aim was to harass and harm the hapless citizens that they happened upon.

He had no clear idea of where he was headed. Cantina Row was the most logical destination, there were over thirty grungy dim bars along that street and any number of them could be the decided meeting spot for the Loyalists. He started towards where he deduced Cantina Row to be and then with a confident air he marched down the street, disregarding the dozens of street urchins that clung to the sandstone walls. He knew that the Imperials would probably choose one of the more clandestine but classy cantinas.

Luke cautiously looked about without moving his head, trying to sense the feelings of the people on the street: many of them were of a species that could not be affected by the Force. He continued down the narrow street eyeing the menagerie of creatures that were gathered together in gangs along the periphery of the byway. He carefully noted their movements, he knew how to sense any sign of a threat and although he would not find it pleasant, he knew that dispatching with them was the only solution should a truculent confrontation arise.

He saw the vagrant street prowlers detach themselves from their seemingly stationary locations against the backs of the houses whose rear faced the alley. Luke retained his confident stride and let his hand casually fall onto the hilt of his lightsaber; the long cape that Launa had given him safely concealed it. He noted several of the thieves form into a small band and proceed to stalk him. He knew that intention of this group was his death and despoilment, neither of which he could allow. With him would die the last of the Jedi, and if he were robbed his possessions were not much but a lightsaber fetched an astronomical sixty-thousand credits; the price of a large house in the suburbs of Merinth.

Luke noted that the nefarious outlaws gathered into a tight group and looked as if they were preparing to attack, his hand gripped the hilt of his lightsaber ready for their attack. Suddenly their attention was diverted by a shadowy figure whose face was discreetly hidden in the cowl of their cloak. The vagrants seemed to freeze in terror for a few brief moments and then with a wave of the caped figure's hand they dispersed in a frightened frenzy.

Luke was mystified by the strange disappearance of his would be attackers. At first he dismissed it as a mere whim on the part of the bandits, maybe they had caught sight of a wealthier and weaker target. But soon he began to sense a presence following him, whether the creature was friendly or not he couldn't tell. He listened intently as he walked and heard the faint scraping of boots on the hard packed sand. He stopped once to turn and look behind him, but saw nothing. He tried to ascertain if his stalker was still following by looking out of the corner of his eyes for any shadows that the creature following him might cast. Gradually the street he was walking became better lit, he could now see the hem of the cape that the individual was wearing. Luke knew he could not risk having a tail so he paused for a moment pondering his decision and then carried on down the street waiting for the right moment.

Then suddenly Luke spun around and in three long strides he had the mysterious prowler in his grasp and pinned against the wall. It struggled to regain its freedom but Luke held it in place, he felt human hands come up and grab at his arm trying to remove it from its own neck.

"Who are you?" Luke asked.

The human tightened its grip around his arm and in a surge of strength displaced it from its location on their throat.

"How in the galaxy am I supposed to answer you when you're crushing my vocal cords?" the human rasped in a female tone of voice. Luke withdrew as if he had been stung, the woman emerged into the glow of the street lamp: it was Launa. "I suppose you blast and ask questions later too, come on." Launa said as she signaled for him to follow.

"Where?"

"To where the Imperials are of course." Launa said as she started down the street.

"Wait! Why were you following me?" Luke questioned. "On whose side are you? And where does you allegiance truly lie?"

Launa turned and glared straight up into Luke's piercing eyes.

"My allegiance belongs to myself, the side I am on is mine own and my enemy is Grand Moff Connosten, who just happens to be your enemy too!" Launa said these words in a slow even tone that belied the raw anger she felt towards Connosten and his henchmen. "If you don't trust me that's your own foolishness, I just saved you from causing a scene with one of the roughest gangs this side of Mos Easley and in return you choke me and question my motives, well I'm still talking to you isn't that proof enough!"

"I'm so sorry Launa I…"

"I know you didn't know. Now come on!"

"Where are we going?

"To 3310 Cantina Row, where the Imperials are having their meeting; if my sources are correct. I promise this isn't some sort of trap." Launa assured when she noticed Luke was not following her. "Listen Mr. Suspicious, I'm not out to get you, I'm trying to help you and if you cant see that you're more of a fool than I thought. After all its just as much of a risk for me to be around Imperials as it is for you! Besides even if your ego wont let you admit it you need my help while you're on my planet, 'cause you're pretty naïve. You nearly got yourself killed by picking this street to walk down, you nearly got yourself into a fight with the most blood thirsty and greedy gang on Tatooine. Then you attack me thinking I am some sort of spy when I'm just trying to watch your back, so just calm down and trust me!" Launa said this last phrase with extra force; trying to hammer it into Luke's brain that she was worthy of his trust. "Are you sure you used to live here?" Launa said with a jesting smile. Luke still stood immobile. "Do you have some sort of complex about trusting people? What do I have to do sign it in blood that I am not trying to betray you and that I am actually on your side, as much as I can let myself be on anyone's side."

Launa started down the street, her left leg was moving more slowly than her right. She had pulled a muscle in her thigh when she had tried to run away from Luke, and it was excruciating to walk on it but Launa would be dammed before she would let anyone see how much pain she was truly in.

Luke watched Launa take a couple steps, then his feelings told him what his mind had not had time to analyze yet: that Launa genuinely was trying to help him and he had been quite obtuse in not accepting her offer to assist him from the very start.

He came loping up to her side and offered her his arm to lean on. Her face was still flushed from his rough handling, a pang of bitter regret ran through him as he put his arm under Launa's to help support her as she walked. She turned and stared at him as if there was something fundamentally wrong with him. Launa felt extremely awkward being helped and as soon as was politely possible she withdrew her arm and hobbled along on her own willpower. Which left Luke feeling slighted, knowing that his help had been so unwanted. Launa didn't notice the effects of her inconsiderate behavior though, partly because she didn't know it was inconsiderate and also because she was far too busy trying to sort out all the confusion in her mind, and determine how much information she could entrust Luke with.


	4. Chapter 3 Always A First Time

**Chapter Three**

Together Launa and Luke stepped out into the glaring light of Cantina Row. Luke still wasn't certain whether or not he could trust Launa. She kept to herself so much that he couldn't make out much of her character. He tried to sense out her intentions through the Force and found himself surprised by how much of the Force ran through her, she could have been a Jedi for the strength of the Force in her. This made him even more curious about her, and her lightsaber.

As they turned a corner, Launa halted and put her hand on Luke's shoulder.

"There are some things you need to know Luke. The first is that Connosten knows you are on Tatooine, and has no doubt sent several troops to ambush you as you leave the Cantina Bounteous, which is where the Imperials will be meeting in…" Launa checked her electro timekeeper. "Half an hour. Second every bar on Cantina Row is teeming with bounty hunters who have been promised an astronomical reward for ending your existence. My accompanying you should however deter their attacking you anywhere. Also if you remain incognito you should manage fine. Thirdly Connosten is expecting that you will act in a rash manner and simply strike down these Imperial decoys and go home thinking that your mission is complete. And Fourth the two Imperials have no knowledge of this whatsoever and actually think that they are meeting here for a legitimate meeting. I have already found the ship belonging to the Imperials and installed a homing device on it. And last but not least what Connosten doesn't know is that I am on your side." Launa laughed. "If he did," she added to herself. "He would have sent every able bodied man under his command here."

"I don't understand, why would Connosten just sacrifice two of his men for no reason."

"By the suns you are an innocent. I would think that a man with your battle experience would know that evil men never count their dead unless the number is in thousands. Mackoveen Connosten is a heartless dictator who wouldn't care if it were his wife and two children he was sending on this futile mission. Moff Connosten lives by the maxim 'The ends justify the means'."

Luke stared at her, she had seen a worse side of war than he had known. In his experience there was very little betrayal. It had been simpler in his battles he had been told who to fight and fought them, he hadnt thought about the fact that the men whose lives he taken had been cruelly sent to this fate without a second thought on the part of their masters.

"Don't underestimate the men he's sending though; there's nothing Connosten would rather see than notices of our deaths, he'd think his side had won if he had killed us both. So believe me when I tell you these men will be skilled fighters, they may even carry lightsabers, but not likely. You see Connosten has somehow obtained a meager familiarity with the Dark Side of the Force and is training some of his military commanders with lightsabers. "

"How do you know all this?" Luke asked in amazement.

"I've been defending my home planet from Connosten's oppression for over ten years, I know my enemy!"

Luke paused for a moment struggling to comprehend and compartmentalize the information Launa had just shared with him.

"The most important thing is that we don't get noticed and don't interfere with these Imperials. If we just do a little covert spying and observe the homing device reader we should be able to figure out where, precisely, these Imperial Loyalist will be holding their 'actual' meeting." Launa said these words in a cheery but distant tone of voice. She then started down the steps that lead into one of the cantinas.

"You cant go in there!" Luke exclaimed in horror.

She simply turned and stared at him as if he had gone mad.

"Why not?" She asked in dismay.

"Because… because you're a woman and women just don't go into places like these, unless they're… they're…"

Luke blushed and was saved from having to say what he was stammering over by an interruption from Launa.

She laughed lightly.

"Luke, I may have a reputation but its not one like that, I am a fighter and as such I am driven to enter some of the most daunting and filthy establishments on Tatooine. This doesn't mean I am a lady of ill repute, I just have to go into places like these, and believe me this is one of the nicer bars on Cantina Row." Launa took another step down towards the sunken door.

"Just because you have risked the censure of others on previous occasions does not mean you should have to do so more often then you find absolutely necessary." Luke said in a caring tone, he really didn't want to see this girl needlessly risk her reputation.

"And how do you suppose I found out which bar the Imperials were going to be meeting at?"

"Your noble sacrifice is appreciated but if you wish to aid me do not come in with me."

"What? I find you exceedingly puzzling sir, I have always went where the Imperials were and no one has hindered me before or even quibbled with me over these matters of propriety as you do now."

"Then I regret to be the one to cross you for the first time but its time someone told you that a woman of moral standard doesn't go into a bar."

Launa's temper flared.

"I go where I please and no one dares to question my moral character."

"And I choose what partners I please" Luke retorted.

The embers of their tempers had been stoked, and Launa was ready for an all out assaulting argument. Luke's desire was simply to resolve matters the way he saw fit without hurting or angering Launa. They stood and stared for a moment. Launa could see it in Luke's eyes, he was not going to back down from his morals demanded. She sighed, for the sake of others and a hope that had been given her she would tolerate his decorous way of doing things.

"Fine!" she said. "I'll meet you halfway. You see there is no way you're going to get in there without having to give your name and we don't want your cover blown, so I'll get you in the door and then wait out back and keep an eye out for any Imperials or rogue bounty hunters."

Luke stood still and reflected for a moment. Launa was sincere and this was a pretty even way of satisfying them both while still retaining their temporary partnership.

"Pull the hood of your cape further down over your face and follow me." Launa said as she pulled up the hood of her own cape.

Luke hid his face deeper in the shadows of his cowl and followed Launa into the rugged looking building. The noxious odor of various items being smoked by the Cantina's clientele assailed Luke's nostrils upon entering the cantina. Luke noticed that at least half of the customers were involved in imbibing various mind altering substances nearly all of which were illegal throughout the rest of the galaxy.

Launa made her way to the bar, Luke cocked his head and eyed her suspiciously, was she going back on their bargain and staying when she had promised to leave? The bartender walked up to the counter carrying some sort of drink in a dark opaque mug, which he placed in front of Launa.

"Mondo" Launa said as she sidled up to the bar.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" he said in his professional tone.

"What table do you recommend for me and my friend this evening?"

"22"

"Thank you" she said as she flipped him a coin, credits didn't qualify as currency out here in the Outer Rim planetary systems. Launa lead Luke to a table with a card that had the number 17 on it.

"But Launa the man said 22"

"I know, it's a code. Quiet!" Launa insisted. She looked around her and saw about half a dozen patrons were staring their way. "If anyone asks how you know me say that I just met you on the street and offered to buy you a drink." She said in a quiet whisper as she forced the mug into Luke's hand. "I'd better go now," and with that Launa walked to the back of the cantina and disappeared behind an orange colored tapestry.

Luke sat down at the table. His brain was working hard trying to sort out everything, confusion wasn't an intense enough word to describe the depths of his puzzlement. He leaned back in his chair and took several deep breaths; he noticed that many of the customers at the bar were staring at him. He tried to sort out his thoughts and those of the other people in the cantina by using the Force. He sensed nothing alarming; the other customers seemed to be either paying him no notice or just trying to deduce who he was. He took a sip of the drink and then it occurred to him that the reason for Launa's strength in the Force might be that one, or even both of her parents may have been among the countless number of Jedi that the Emperor had had executed.

'That would explain her not wanting to trust anyone very much' Luke mused. Being the child of a Jedi was a very precarious position to hold. If the wrong people found out your life would be in constant jeopardy, he knew. Hardly a month passed that some assassin seeking his life was found and incarcerated. It seemed that if your parent was a Jedi, it didn't matter how peaceful a life they had lead they pinned the blame on you. In Luke's case it was worse because both those who supported the Jedi and those who didn't both had grievances against his father, and in some cases him personally. The remaining Hutts in the galaxy sent bounty hunter after bounty hunter trying to take Leia and his lives. But there was no guarantee that her Force endowed parent had been a Jedi. A slain Sith was equally as likely, for it was not common practice for Jedi to marry, and according to the Laws of the Sith marriage was not prohibited. Luke didn't really agree with the anti-marriage policy of the Jedi either. How could he? It had been that commandment that had ultimately driven his father to the Dark Side.


	5. Chapter 4 Not A First

**Chapter Four**

As Luke sat alone at his table, he continued to wonder about his new ally. Who was she? She had alluded to things that implied she had some importance. But how? People seemed to fear her; that was a certainty. From the way that people eyed her with that look of hesitation, as if she might pull out her lightsaber and hew them down at the slightest provocation. This made Luke inquisitive about just how much fighting Launa had done.

He knew that there were many things about herself that she was not telling him, nor would she unless he proved himself worthy of her trust. 'Trust' he cogitated, it was so easy to just expect someone to give you theirs, even when you had not trusted them in the slightest. The revelation of his identity had been an accident, it certainly wasn't in Launa's case. He somehow knew that there was a third part to her name, but she did not trust him enough to share it with him. There it was again, that word 'trust'. 'Well I suppose I'll have to do a little trusting on my part if I want her to trust me back' Luke concluded.

Outside Launa waited impatiently for Luke to conclude his spying. She heaved a heavy sigh and went to sit down on the ground with her back against the wall. 'I don't care if he saved the whole galaxy' her mind protested, 'that doesn't give him the right to start laying down the law for me. I know the rules, I practically invented them, and my rules are I do what needs to be done in order to complete the task; so long as I don't needlessly hurt anyone. I should just go back in there, I'd like to see what he thinks he could do about it. I may not be a Jedi but I have enough skill with my lightsaber that no one has dared challenge me.' Launa's reasonable side gently chided her that that was simply because no one else on Tatooine had a lightsaber and she had never been anywhere else. 'I know, but still, I do not take orders from anyone, anyone, not even Mr. I-Saved-the-Universe. All I know is that this may be the first time someone has ever told me what to do since I turned 17 and it is most going to be certainly the last!'

Launa continued to brood. She was fairly certain that Fallery was one of the men Connosten had sent. All her raging anger and hatred urged her to disregard her and Luke's agreement, go inside the Cantina, and kill the man who had caused her so much misery. Her blood was near boiling point. Fallery was the most diabolical traitor to ever step foot on Tatooine, and she hated him. She knew hatred was wrong, but she couldn't help herself, he had done so much to destroy her life that she couldn't help but despise him. She was a friendless warrior on the hostile road of life on which every corner she rounded there was someone more than willing to betray her and collect the enormous reward.

Launa sighed and stood up, she'd have to let Fallery escape, yet again. 'One day' she pondered. 'One day my father will come home and then I can leave this wretched planet and chase Fallery, and all of Connosten's minions to the far reaches of the galaxy and dispense with them personally instead of leaving it in the hapless hands of the New Republic.'

Suddenly Launa's ears caught the faint sound of combat boot clad feet creeping up behind her in the deep shadows, she listened intently, the boots being worn by the soldiers denoted that they were Farhe, members of Connosten's personal army. Connosten had special boots issued to his Farhe fighters, they made very little noise and were perfect for a stealthy approach. She stood still in a casual stance waiting for their signature call to attack. Then it came the long low whistle followed by three short whistles. At precisely the same moment that the third whistle left the chief Farhe's lips Launa did a double back flip and landed in front of the two closest Farhe. She hewed down the two scouts and then peered into the deep shadows of the night. She had been expecting the Farhe to show up, several people in the Cantina had recognized her and had hoped to merit the handsome reward for details leading to her capture or death. Even after all she had done for her planet in the last ten years. It was hard to believe that after what she had done for her countrymen that they would turn her over to the enemy for the monetary reward, or for an absolution from their own crimes. 'Well it just proves that you cannot trust anyone.'

There was no sign of anymore Farhe. Launa shrugged her shoulders and glanced at the light that hung crookedly above the back entrance to the cantina. She smiled her private smile, that small little smile that let the world see her true feelings for one brief moment. She felt a strange exhilaration at the thought of flying all across the galaxy chasing Connosten and his equally evil servants. It was only an illusive dream, she would never be able to leave Tatooine until her father came home, if she did it would mean breaking her word.

A blaster shot tore through the still darkness, it whizzed harmlessly past her left arm. She vanished into the shadows in an instant. The soldiers looked at each other in wonderment, where had she gone, no one could just disappear. Suddenly a purple lightsaber flared into life behind them. For a moment all the soldiers stared at her and her glowing weapon.

"You can go peacefully or you can kiss your life in this galaxy good-bye."

They all stood their ground, losing their life at her hands would be much quicker and less painful than if Connosten caught them after deserting. She swirled her lightsaber in glowing arcs dispatching with many of her attackers in the first few moments of battle.

"Launa" a plangent voice came from the side of the cantina.

"Luke!" Launa said as she nodded her head his way and then finished off one of the would-be assassins. Luke came forward and drew his lightsaber, and together their lightsaber cut through the darkness of the night, slaying Farhe with every stroke. However, as they fought a lone figure covered in a deep black robe slinked off into the night, escaping his most deserved fate, once again. He made sure he was far enough away that he would not be found and then he raised his bracelet comlink close to his mouth.

"Send six detachments of Farhe to the back of the Cantina Bounteous, 1396 Cantina Row, and do it quickly."

"Yes sir," came the reply.

"And send two more to cover the surrounding areas."

"Yes Commander Fallery."

Launa and Luke had successfully done away with all of their attackers and stood there looking at each other. Luke was better than her, as much as she hated to admit it, his skills with a lightsaber were superior to hers. Luke found himself admiring his companions crisp precision with a lightsaber. She was calculating and thoughtful, she really seemed to be thinking of the least painful way to kill her opponent.

"Luke!" Launa practically screamed.

"What?"

"Run!" Launa said as she started down the alleyway.

Luke followed Launa, keeping stride with her fast pace.

"What is it?"

"Someone sent for reinforcements." Launa said as she made a sharp left into one of the Cantina's.

"How could you tell?" Luke asked as they sped through the Cantina and out the front door.

"I could hear them coming, there's at least a hundred of them, Connosten is pulling out all the stops in a desperate attempt to get at least one of us killed."

"What was the point of going through the bar?"

"On duty soldiers are never allowed into a bar under any circumstances."

Launa jogged down a narrow street, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. As if she could have ran down the streets blindfolded and still got to wherever she was headed for. She knew Luke and her had a good head start and a knowledge of where they were going, while the Farhe had to take the time to track them.

Out of nowhere several blaster shots came from behind them. Launa looked behind her for the first time, the Farhe were much closer than she had expected. She grabbed Luke by his arm and veered down a narrow street.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked.

"Just trust me!" Launa said in between breaths as she jogged down yet another street. After running for half a mile and switching streets almost a dozen times Launa and Luke were confronted with a dead end street, and the soldiers were in hot pursuit.

"I thought you…" Luke never finished his sentence.

Launa was already crawling down what appeared to be a manhole. She signaled for him to follow. He came up behind her and stared at the hole for a moment. It was very small. He squeezed himself through and found himself in a dimly lit garage, instead of the putrid sewers he was expecting. Launa turned a bolt on the bottom of the manhole cover and pocketed what appeared to be a ring of keys.

Launa jumped into a well used speeder and began revving it. Luke got in the passenger side and then realized to his despair that it was a TC-19 speeder. It was a great landspeeder if you planned on weathering a sandstorm, but it was just about the worst getaway vehicle.

A door opened up onto a street perpendicular to the one they had just left. Launa slammed her foot on the gas and came flying out of the garage so quickly that the remotely operated door had barely started to shut. Luke was speechless, and his face showed it. Launa burst out laughing.

"What?" Luke asked as the wind blew his hair straight out behind him.

"You," she said with a laugh, "don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"I was pretty sure that this was a TC-19" Luke said.

"It is, I just made some special personal alterations of my own."

"This is your speeder?"

"Yep"

"What did you do to it?" Luke asked, he had a genuine interest. Mechanics was a sort of hobby of his, when he had nothing else to do on the main base. Luke wasn't very knowledgeable about improvements, but he could repair things quite adeptly. Modifying things was Han's forte.

"I added turbo boosters, changed the engine out with a G-12 super-light medium weight from my cousins wrecked L-2 speeder."

"Wow" Luke was silent for a moment "Launa?"

"Oi?" Launa replied as they reached the open desert.

"How did you plan that escape. I mean it seemed as if you'd done it before."

"What makes you think I haven't?"

"Listen Launa neither of us are going to get anywhere like this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Launa!" Luke said pulling the key out the ignition causing the speeder to sputter out.

"What are you trying to do, wreck my ignition?"

"Launa you know enough about me to get me killed if you like, and you wont give me the time of day unless cajoled into it. Why?"

"You wouldn't understand." Launa said with her teeth gritted. Luke looked down at the floor of the speeder, she still didn't trust him. He dropped the keys into Launa's hand.

"Have it your way Miss Jordane."

"Listen Luke, its nothing against you personally, I cant tell anybody anything, I could barely trust my own cousins and their dead now, so you see I cant trust anyone, its just not possible. If I were free to trust people I would be glad to tell you about myself, but I cant, these secrets aren't my own, and not to mention its easier if you don't know who I am, then you wont have to lie if anyone asked you if you knew." Launa spoke in a pained and yet very clipped voice as if it were a struggle for her to trust him with this miniscule glimpse at just how desperate a life she had been forced into leading.

"My home is by the Dune Sea, I'll take you there, you can get some rest and then I'll see you off in the morning with some breakfast. Oh, you might want to keep this now." Launa said as she handed Luke the small screen homing device tracker.

"I appreciate what you've done for me Launa, if there's anything I can do in return just let me know."

"There would be, except… except… oh I cant do anything not until… Luke I promise you, if I ever get free of this planet I'll come and take you up on that offer."

Luke looked at her with a perplexed expression.

"Okay then."

Luke urgently wanted to ask Launa hundreds of more questions, but he wasn't going to push it, Launa was a fiercely independent woman and he had a feeling anymore questions would provoke her fiery temperament.


	6. Chapter 5 Pain

**Chapter Five**

It was past midnight when they reached Launa's home. They were both exhausted and neither was displaying a very convivial disposition. Launa sleepily wandered up to the entrance to her house. She put her hand up to lean on the door as she prepared to unlock it. She nearly fell; there was no door! She suddenly became very alert, her acute instincts strained to find any nearby danger. She had to be ready to jump in any direction at any moment. She cautiously turned on the light to the house. The sudden light caused both Luke and Launa to squint in pain from the painfully bright light.

"Oh no!" Launa exclaimed as she fell to her knees in agony. Her house had been ransacked, papers were strewn about, furniture was overturned, and her mother's dinner service lay shattered on the floor. To her left was the door that should have been on its hinges. She looked at the destruction that surrounded her. The pictures that had been on the mantelpiece had been raked onto the floor the glass coverings in jagged chunks on the floor below the mantelpiece.

Shaken with emotion and trembling with heartfelt fear, Launa crawled to the area of floor by the fireplace and turned over one of the fallen portraits. It was the picture her cousin Terrence Jordane had painted for her not long before his death; it had been a gift in token of his gratitude for the innumerable times she had saved his life. She bit her lip; she hadn't been there to save it when it really mattered. There was a scratch on the corner from the broken glass. She turned the next one over, it was the photostat of her three cousins, only Teresa was left, and they weren't on speaking terms anymore.

Launa scanned the room with her eyes, then she began to shake. They were missing. She looked as she might collapse, she turned pale and began to shake uncontrollably.

"Launa!" Luke cried out as he bent down beside her. "Launa, are you sick?" She stared vacuously at the unlit fireplace. She felt as if she had been swallowed up by that black menacing void. She felt her life force eek out of her, and the awful hollow feeling that she had managed to fight off ever since her period of aloneness had begun started to creep up on her. Its strangulating tentacles were engulfing her heart. She had only a vague sense of reality. She knew that the destruction of her home had been the work of Farhe, she also knew that the missing items would spell death not only for her (that was already spelt) but for her beloved but absent father, and she couldn't leave Tatooine to go find him and warn him.

"Launa! There are two more pictures up here," Luke said as he looked on top of the mantle, a place that was above Launa's height. Launa instantly snapped out of her dazed state. She snatched the pictures from Luke's hands, then she breathed the most relieved sigh imaginable.

She turned her table upright and placed the two immensely significant pictures on it along with her portrait and that of her cousins. She tried to peer over the mantle to see if she could see anything else that had escaped the notice of the Farhe. She felt Luke's strong hands around her waist, lifting her up so she could survey the mantle on her own. She felt awkward, why was Luke helping her, she just couldn't make out what was wrong with this Jedi guy.

It was still there too, she hastily grabbed the engraved metallic pendant, and jumped out of Luke's grasp, landing sprightly on the floor, and avoiding the broken glass. She brushed the dust off of the metal, it was the pendant of a General of the Republic, the Old Republic.

Luke was looking at the pictures that had elicited Launa's return from her stupor. The first was of a fair woman in her thirties, she had long curling hair that framed her face, the carefree curls matched the ones that cascaded from Launa's head. 'This must be her mother,' Luke thought to himself. He picked up the other picture.

"Obi Wan!" he ejaculated. It was a true likeness of his first master; the eyes were the same: 'the eyes' Luke thought. He looked at Launa; he finally had the missing clue. "Launa Jordane… Kenobi" he said slowly "you're Ben's daughter," he said and then rushed up to Launa's side.

"Yes I am," Launa admitted after a long silence. "And it is imperative that no one else ever learns my true identity, it would be very dangerous, for both me and my father: but how do you know my father."

"Don't worry Launa, I swear on my honor as a Jedi I will tell no one, but your father… you mean to say you don't know."

"Know what? Tell me Luke" Launa said as she grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Tell me, I've been waiting so long for him to come home, tell me what has my noble father done that is keeping him so long?"

Luke swallowed hard. She really had no idea what had happened to Ben, he swallowed again, and it was now his painful duty to tell her the life shattering news. Luke placed his hand on Launa's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"Launa your father…" Luke faltered, "Obi Wan died ten years ago, I'm sorry I really hated to be the one…" Luke didn't finish his sentence because Launa had fainted and then fallen into his accommodating arms.

Luke carried her to the room that appeared to be hers, waking in her fathers room would not be the best thing for her after discovering his fate. He set her down on the chair in her room while he replaced the mattress onto its foundation, then he gently placed Launa atop the mattress and left her alone.

He would repair the damage caused by the vandals, seeing as he couldn't repair the damage that had been done to her heart.


	7. Chapter 6 Repair

**Chapter Six**

Launa soon regained consciousness and lithely sprang from her bed and went into the living room where she could hear Luke working. She casually made her way into the living room; Luke was just finishing up with re-hanging the front door. Luke turned to her and he was moved with sorrow, she was such a lonely woman, who had nothing to even hope for now.

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked as he set down the hammer that he had been using and walked over to Launa.

"Fine I suppose, it will take me a while to really adjust to the fact that I am never going to see him again." Launa's voice was slow and halting, she had made up her mind not to cry, not until she knew Luke couldn't hear her weep. "Do you know how he died?" Launa asked after a long pause.

"Yes" Luke said and then began to blush. This was going to be awkward. Launa probably had heard enough from her father to know who his father was.

"How?"

"Darth Vader killed him in a duel on the first Death Star."

"He mentioned a mission in the note he left me I had no idea that it was to face his old apprentice a second time."

"It wasn't, we were on our way to Alderaan, only to find it had already been destroyed. Then we encountered the Death Star, it pulled us in with its tractor beam, and Ben went off to deactivate the beam and I guess he and Vader found each other after that."

"You said Alderaan was destroyed." Launa paused, her face twisted up in pain.

"Yes, it broke my sister's heart."

"You mean she survived!"

"Yes, she was on the Death Star when it incinerated her home planet, Moff Tarkin forced her to watch."

Launa was quiet for a moment, then she walked over to the fireplace and put her foot on the corner tile which triggered a trap door to open to a hidden basement.

"Come on Luke, there are some things you need to have. I suppose if Ben told you that the Princess of Alderaan was your sister he probably told you who your parents were."

Luke just smiled, Obi Wan hadn't exactly told him who his parents were, that had been Yoda, and it was only his father.

"I'd give you your father's lightsaber but it went missing when father left, I suppose he took it with him or gave it to you himself."

"He gave it to me."

"Then how come your lightsaber is green, Anakin's was blue."

"I lost it in a battle with my father."

"Kind of ironic; hey what ever happened to Vader anyways?"

"He died, the Emperor killed him."

"Why would Palpatine kill his most prized possession?"

Luke smiled "because when my father died, he died as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker not as…"

Luke didn't finish his sentence because Launa was embracing him in a bear hug.

"Oh papa would have been so happy, I am so happy, the whole galaxy should have been rejoicing, this is the greatest event that ever occurred in the history of the universe." Launa hastily release Luke from her embrace and blushed profusely.

"Why I mean yeah he was my dad but your reaction seems more fit as if it were a matter of galactic importance."

"It is!" Launa said as she scrambled down the rope ladder into the basement, followed by Luke.

The basement was one huge library.

"You see these" Launa said pointing to the hundreds of books, "these are the Jedi Chronicles, and in the entire three thousand year long history of the Force and Force users never once has a fallen Jedi ever returned to the good side. Tell me, I am curious, how did it happen."

Luke blushed, "He died from the electrical currents that the Emperor had been directing at me, you see he came in between us and then seized the Emperor and threw him down a shaft to his death." Luke's voice was soft and dulcet, he owed his life to his father.

"Papa always believed the true Anakin would eventually win out, he never said it but you could tell he felt that way by the way he talked about Anakin's fall, which he didn't do much. Both he and Padme would feel vindicated in their beliefs if they knew."

"Padme?"

"Yes, she was your mother. Which reminds me why I brought you down here." Launa went over to a metal chest and opened it. She picked up two portraits that were laying on top of everything else. "Here they are, Anakin and Padme, your father and your mother" Launa said solemnly as she handed Luke the pocket-size portraits.

Luke was taken with sentiment; he hadn't even known his mother's name until that moment. She was beautiful, her hair was brown and curled in ringlets she had given Leia her dignified brown eyes and bold stare. He turned his stare over to the picture of his father, not knowing quite what to expect, the haggard phantom that had appeared to him on Endor probably didn't resemble his father as a young man at all. Luke was startled to find his own eyes looking back at him, he was his father's spitting image, they looked so much alike, the shape of their faces was the only real difference, he must have gotten the shape of his head from his mother.

"Thank you Launa" Luke said his voice cracking with emotion.

"The appreciation belongs to my father and Bail Organa, Leia's adopted father, they brought all this here after the fall of the old republic."

Luke looked at his father's portrait again. Launa noticed.

"He was a good man and an even better fighter," she reassured Luke.

"Can you tell me more about my parents? I know very little about my father before he fell and even less about my mother."

"Of course I will, would you mind helping me put my house back in order while I tell you?"

"Certainly" Luke said as he started up the ladder.


	8. Chapter 7 Fate, Hate, and Trust

**Chapter Seven**

Together they quickly reassembled the living room and kitchen areas. A few of the dishes from her mother's set had survived and Launa had carefully stowed them away.

As they surveyed the neatened parlor, Launa turned to Luke and asked…

"What did the Imperials discuss while they were in the Cantina?"

"They talked of a kidnapping plot but they didn't name the target. They also said they'd meet up again on Quanar in a few days."

"So are you going to follow them there?" Launa asked.

"Should I?" Luke knew what he thought best, but he wanted to hear Launa's veteran advice. After all she had been fighting Connosten much longer than he had.

"Well if you don't I will" Launa emphatically stated. Her mind honed in on the fact that Fallery would be at the council meeting on Quanar, and that was reason enough to go rushing across the galaxy.

"You seek revenge don't you?" Luke asked in a soothing tone.

"Yes" Launa said with fists clenched. "I know its wrong but I cant help it, what he has done is inexorably evil and if someone doesn't kill him all he will do is continue to destroy the lives of the innocent. He betrayed the Brotherhood of Smugglers. Not to mention he is Tatooine's regional governor and has been suppressing its populace for over six years now. He has done more appalling things than his master, Connosten. When he turned traitor on the Brotherhood, he got two of his own brothers murdered and it didn't even faze him in the slightest. I was not a member of the brotherhood but my cousins were, but he still came after me, and has been trying to assassinate me ever since then." Launa paused and then continued. "I have tried to exterminate him every chance I got, but he conveniently remains off of the planet that is under his jurisdiction. And when he does land on Tatooine every where he travels he goes there with at least thirty guards. I couldn't chase after him because I had to keep my promise to my father, but now I have nothing to stop me, I have nothing at all." There were almost two meanings to her refrain; Launa had nothing. "There is nothing to stop me from going to the nest of the vulture and destroying the beast that has fed on the lifeblood of my people. Not just Fallery but Connosten and all of the other malicious minions that followed him."

Luke eyed Launa with understanding. She was not wrong for wanting to right the misdeeds done by Connosten but she was too vehement and took things too personal. She acted as though every occurrence that had disrupted her planet had been her fault, as if she felt responsible for the whole of Tatooine. And that was too much of a burden for anyone to carry. Luke chuckled slightly; he was one to talk, he walked around feeling responsible for everything that went wrong in the entire galaxy.

Launa didn't notice his slight laugh she just stared at the pictures on the table.

"I know I shouldn't seek vengeance. Papa would have told me some wise words and then I would have felt much nobler and would have gladly eschewed all thoughts of revenge, but now he is gone, and I have no one and nothing." Launa said these words in a saddened and bitter voice. She felt hollow, her father's return had been the only thing she had had to hope for and now it was gone too.

Suddenly as if a will stronger than his own had urged him to do so Luke said…

"Launa, I will train you."

She looked up at him as if she was viewing him in a completely different way light than she had seen him previously.

"You're the one," she said, her voice taking on a distant and tuneful quality. "Come with me back downstairs there is something you might want to see."

Launa led the way back down to the subterranean library. She picked up one of the countless volumes and flipped to the middle of the book. Her eyes passed over several pages and then she turned the book over to Luke pointing to the section she wished him to read. There in the long fluid writing of Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi read the third person entry relating to Launa's birth and the prophecy that been made shortly thereafter.

"_Two years after 'The Fall' the wife of exiled Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi gave birth to a daughter and she was called Launa Jordane Kenobi._

_Several months later, exiled Jedi Master Yoda prophesied that Launa would become a Jedi with greater ability than her father but that neither her father or himself (that being Master Yoda) would be the one to train Launa in the ways of the Force, that task was appointed to another._

_Note: At this time the only Jedi known to living are Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi, and the fallen Anakin Skywalker who is no longer counted among the Jedi"_

Luke read the passage twice. Then he looked up at Launa who was reading over his shoulder. They stared at each other for a timeless moment. It was as if they had both found what they had searched the galaxy for but never been able to find until then.

Luke had wanted to take a Padawan for several years, but Leia had refused saying that her first priority was that of being a wife and mother, and second was her office in the New Republic and that being a Jedi too would be too much for her to handle. And he hadn't been able to find anyone else suitable for training. As leader of the New Order of Jedi, he had decided that no one should be trained until they had reached an age where they felt at ease leaving their parents home and coming to the Jedi Training Facilities on Merinth. No one had dared to return to Coruscant to visit the old Jedi Temple. It would take the inhabitants of Coruscant a long time to recover from the change of power that had occurred with the Emperor's death and the destruction of the second Death Star.

Launa had been waiting for the one who Yoda had prophesied about for thirteen years, ever since her father had shown her the section in the Jedi Chronicles pertaining to her birth. To become a Jedi had been her greatest desire since she was a small child. Even before it had been revealed that Obi Wan Kenobi was her father she had listened to his thrilling tales of Jedi bravery when he had visited her mother's sister and her family. After discovering who her real parents were, she had begged Obi Wan to train her, but he would not. He could not bear the thought of his second Padawan failing as his first had, even more so because she was his own daughter.

There in the serene silence of the underground library, surrounded by thousands of years of history Launa and Luke looked searchingly at one another. It was as if their lives had been running on parallel courses up until that night. They had been so close to each other, and yet they had been separate up until then. Their thoughts turned to the random series of events that had culminated in their fated encounter.

Launa smiled with satisfaction and then she ascended the rope ladder that hung from the inside of the chimney. It swung rambunctiously as she made her way up, but as Launa was about halfway up the ladder it suddenly became stable. She looked below her; Luke was steadying the ladder to make her more balanced.

She momentarily became immobile, what was the deal with Luke? No one helped her, she was the guardian of her planet, and she did not need any help. She sighed her confusion away and continued up to the ground floor.

As she reached the main level of her home she suddenly realized how desperately she needed some alone time. So much had happened in the past few hours, she had to have some time by herself to sort out her thoughts and develop some sort of idea of what her life was about to become. She would soon be leaving the only world she had ever known.

Those few lonely teardrops that she had shed after she had regained consciousness were not near enough to give manifestation to the heart wrenching grief that she felt. She wanted to curl up on the floor and try to stop her insides from feeling as if they were going to spill out of the gaping hole that had been torn in her soul. She couldn't, not yet anyways; she would never allow any man to ever see her cry. Ben had been the only man who had ever seen her shed tears, and that had only been on rare occasions. Launa kept her emotions to herself, like everything else.

After Luke had come up the ladder she went and triggered the auto return, the ladder slowly coiled back up and the trapdoor to the basement closed. She smiled, that had been her idea, Ben had been trying to think of a place to hide the Jedi Chronicles, he had bought this isolated home partly for the reason it had a cellar, but also because her aunt and uncle had told her that he was her father on their deathbeds. She had come to him after that, and he had taken her to live with him, warning her of all the dangers that came with associating with ex-Jedi. She had refused to take no for an answer and… the tears were coming, she had to get out of Luke's sight soon or else he would see her weep, an impermissible sight.

"Listen Luke, I'm not trying to be rude, but I could really use some time by myself."

"That's quite understandable" Luke marveled that Launa had been able to keep it together as long as she had. "I need to go get my ship anyhow."

"Right" Launa smiled curtly and nodded. "Here take my binoculars" she said as she loosed the strap that held the binocular holster. "So will we be headed off to Merinth or Quanar?"

"A Jedi's first duty is to do his duty. I told the Senate I would apprehend the Imperial Loyalists" Luke paused. "But I don't think you should come, I wont have enough time to prepare you for… your test. I'll return when I have completed my mission and take you back with me to Merinth. Besides this is far too dangerous a mission for…"

"Oh no you don't!" Launa said in a firm tone, her grief laid aside for the moment, she was ready to do battle with Luke for her rightful position: at the side of her master. "Two is stronger than one, and although you may not know it I am quite an accomplished warrior myself, Jedi abilities or no. I'm coming with you, as your Padawan I should be fighting at your side learning from you on the plane of battle. I may not be a Jedi yet, but I am thoroughly aware of the importance of maintaining balance throughout the galaxy. And if I can assist you and help preserve the life of the only living Jedi I will do so whether he likes it or not! Besides you are not as familiar with Connosten's tactics as I am, it would be advantageous for you in all aspects to have me with you when you go to Quanar.

Luke smiled, Launa was fiercely loyal and maybe he should give her more credit than he had been. After all, she now had something to work towards; becoming a Jedi. That would give her something to focus on besides revenge. His smile broadened as he took the binoculars from Launa's hand.

"I should be back by sunrise."

"I'll be ready" Launa said with a weak smile, she was anxious to be alone.

Luke strode out the door. His ship was only a couple miles away, he had used Ben's house as a point of reference when he had landed. He mused about how fast things were going, one minute he's scaring Tusken Raiders away from a potential victim and the next he's discovering that she's his old master's daughter and promising to train her. He wiped his brow, then he set out across the chilly desert plains.


	9. Chpt 8 Somethings Can Never Be Repaired

**Chapter Eight**

Launa made her way to the quiet bedroom that she had kept meticulously clean in anticipation of her father's return. She had made sure that nothing had moved in the past ten years and now it was a jumbled mess of scattered papers, open drawers and overturned furniture. She carefully placed the mattress back on its foundation and then replaced the coverings just the way Ben would have wanted them, the end tucked in and the pillows under the sheet. She folded the clothes that had been taken out of the dresser drawers and strewn about the room. She carefully replaced them and then she set his writing set back on top of his desk. Her mind revolted at the thought of never seeing her father again. It couldn't be true, but in her heart she knew it was a certain truth. She held her emotions in check and then turned to leave the room. Then she caught sight of her father's favorite sitting chair, the one where he used to sit with her at his feet telling her stories of the brave deeds of Jedi Knights of the past. And now she was set to join their numbers and he'd never know. She ran to the easy chair and embraced it, her face buried in its sitting cushion. She couldn't bear it any longer.

The tears streamed down her face in a torrential release of emotion. She had restrained herself from showing that she felt anything for so long that she was surprised at her own behavior. She didn't care though, she wanted her father back. Seventeen years was not half long enough; he was supposed to have been there when she became a Jedi, how could this happen? It was so wrong. He had died too early; his death had preceded Anakin's return and the return of the Jedi.

She punched the cushions of the chair.

"No!" she screamed. "No" she said in a quiet whisper.

She sat there weeping with her head on the cushion of the chair. Her heart ached terribly, and the only avenue available to release the torrent of emotion she felt was through crying. The hot tears of her sorrow swept down the lines of her face in an endless cascade. She raised her head, looked at her surroundings, and then fled to the shelter of her own room.

She knew Luke would be returning soon and she could not afford to let him see that she had been crying. She took a cloth, vigorously rubbed her face, and looked in the mirror. She was relieved by her reflection; she had been blessed with a capacity to shed as many tears as she liked and her face would still remain natural looking, no red eyes, no puffiness, her face would seem a shade more flushed than usual, that was the only effect weeping had on her appearances.

She slid onto the floor and blindly felt around under her bed for her travel case, it was still there. She drug it out from under the bed and began packing a couple changes of clothes and a few sentimental items that she did not ever want too far from her grasp. There was still space in her bag, so she went over to her bookshelf and sorted through the books that were scattered on the floor and put most of them back on the shelf but set a couple aside and then stuffed them into her bag. She then left her room and went down to the cellar once again.

She found the most recent volume of the Jedi Chronicles and tucked it away in her jacket and then climbed back up the ladder and triggered the trap door. She went to the table and then pulled a pin from out of her chest pocket and added in her disorderly scrawl this entry…

'_Jedi Master Luke Skywalker takes Launa Jordane Kenobi, daughter of General Obi Wan Kenobi to be his Padawan Learner. Exiled Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi dies (11 years and 3 months previous)'_

That stated everything that needed to be said. She closed the tome with a resounding bang then she went into her bedroom, placed it in her bag, and then zipped the duffel bag shut.

"There" she said with a decisive sigh. She had everything she needed. She wandered throughout the house putting a few miscellaneous items back where they belonged. She wanted this house to stay the same forever. She would be extra careful when she left with Luke to make sure that it was safely locked up before she departed on her journey to new systems. A journey that she didn't have the faintest idea where it would lead her or how long it would be before she would be able to return to her beloved home. She put some food in her bag and then slung it on her shoulder and went outside. She carefully locked her house up, setting several devices that would deter anyone who might try to vandalize her quiet desert sanctuary again.

It was that mysterious hour right before dawn, when the eerie silence that enveloped the entire desert was at its peak, and stillness reined over all living things. It was a meditative hour for Launa. It gave her an opportunity to let the weight of the past few hours sink in.

She was on her way to becoming a Jedi. She could scarcely believe it. Yet it was a bittersweet kind of thing. Could she separate the glorious parts of the past few hours from the tragic? only time would tell.

There under the shining stars everything seemed to be at peace and right, the pristine night sky had a calming affect and she laid down on the cold sand and stared up at the stars. She wondered if the skies of other systems looked different than the sky of her own. She wondered what they called their constellations and what stories they told about them. Launa smiled childishly as she pinpointed her favorite constellation; the warrior princess; Satine Windtamer. According to legend she had been a Queen of Tatooine back in the days of the monarchs. She had spent her entire life warding off invaders from outer systems. When she died, it was said that she prophesied that too many foreigners dwelling in the Tatooine system would be its downfall it would become a savage system (only a hundred years later the Hutts appeared and seized Tatooine as one of their fiefdoms) until a monarch came to rule it once again. Launa laughed, she loved the folklore of her people, it told of so many noble deeds and of people who defied the elements to become great leaders.

Her mind traced through the dramatic sights she'd seen on Tatooine. The fierce sandstorms, the still nights in which the sand never stirred, the flare filled sunsets that dazzled the senses, she would miss them all.

It was about time she came out of her cozy protective shell, she knew there had to be more to life and that the only way of ever finding that unidentifiable thing that she so desperately sought would be to leave Tatooine. She was certain it couldn't be on Tatooine she had been over every inch of the planet and the unknown something simply did not exist on her planet, so logically it had to be lurking in the regions of the galaxy to which she had never travelled.

Launa sat up went back into her home paying careful attention to not triggering the traps that she had set up. She went to the kitchen found a small bottle, poured out its contents and then went back outside. She gathered up some sand in her hands and then funneled it into the bottle. Then she tightly closing the lid and placed it in her bag. She turned her head and looked wistfully out of her kitchen window. The first rays of dawn were filtering over the still desert sands. She rushed outdoors; making sure that she relocked her house. She stood at the pinnacle of a nearby dune to watching the sunrise.

Tatoo One swiftly rose; showering her with its radiant warmth, it was followed in due time by its more gradual companion Tatoo Two. Launa smiled, the glorious sunlight flooded over her illuminating her blonde tresses. The first gust of wind blew her hair around her. She felt exhilarated. She could not resist the warmth of the suns and the freshness of the first wind. After all it was a new day, with a new future, and new adventures awaiting her. She stood on the brink of the most daunting prospect of her life. She was leaving home; the only place she had ever known and she was going to venture to places that were entirely unknown to her. She sighed and then sat down, her legs crossed, and watched the intensely overwhelming majesty of the twin suns as they began their trek across the sky.


	10. Chapter 9 A New Beginning

**Chapter Nine**

As Luke approached Launa's house in his L class spacecraft he saw a lone figure standing atop a dune. When landed Launa was leaving her vantage point and coming towards his ship, toting a heavy grey-green duffel bag on her left shoulder. Luke got out to help her.

For the first time he could clearly see her, and she him.

Luke's appearance did not fit that of the Jedi that Ben had described to her, nevertheless, in the stark light of the Tatooine day he seemed to have something in his bearing that denoted his rank as a Jedi Master. He was clad in black and bore a sober expression, his keen blue eyes showed the world that he was a Jedi, they were full of a sympathy and encompassing love for all things good. Just as a Sith's eyes will reveal them as evil and malicious, the kind hearted goodness of a Jedi will show through their eyes as well.

Launa's hair was dancing in the now sufficiently roused eddies of wind. Her blue eyes shined with a eager expression, she seemed to be in a state of anticipation as she gazed at his ship for a moment.

"Hello Launa, good morning!" Luke said cheerily.

"Good morning Luke" Launa said smiling broadly.

For a moment a scintillating, almost spasm-like reaction to Launa's glowing countenance caught Luke unawares, and quite ill-equipped to handle such forgotten feelings. He quickly dismissed the unbidden sensation and took Launa's bag and stowed in the cargo hold.

Launa stared at Luke for a moment. She was completely befuddled as to why he had taken her bag and put it in the hold himself when he could have just as easily told her where the cargo hold was. Oh well she shrugged off the odd sensation that came with being helped. She would not let his odd and foreign ways mar the day on which started on her journey to the unknown. No, she would not let anyone dampen her spirits as she set off on this wholly new and fascinating adventure, which she was just moments from embarking on.

She slid into the co-pilots seat in the cockpit and strapped herself in. She looked at the controls, ascertaining the specific functions of each one by reading the labels and symbols that were right above the particular switch or button.

"Here Luke" Launa said as she passed him a piece of dense, cake-like loaf of some homemade breakfast, special to the Jordane side of the family. Luke took a bite as he strapped himself in and flipped the ignition switch.

"It's good," Luke said, his speech slightly obstructed by the wad of food in his mouth.

"Thanks, secret family recipe." She said with a nod as she took a bite. As she chewed her breakfast and watched Luke get the ship ready for take off, she wondered, 'what in the blazing suns makes him act so odd?' She wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off coldness. She clung to herself, it was the only strength she had known for years. She felt cold, but not on the outside. She felt hollow, as if, stars forbid, it SHE who was the odd one for not being able to accept the chivalrous way in which Luke treated her. She felt foolish for so vehemently withdrawing from Luke's polite attentions. She couldn't just dismiss Luke's peculiarity her mind had to find a logical answer or she would never be able to put it away and not think about it. It wasn't so much the fact he was helping her that she resented it was the underlying question of why, and the emotions it evoked in her.

The impenetrable walls that kept her heart held in the darkness of her own frightened self had just discovered a small crevice emitting an infinitesimal amount of light into her imprisoned soul. Slowly her inner self began to meekly plead for her attention. 'He's just being nice' it coaxed.

Nice! 'I don't need niceness' her prideful side retorted.

'He doesn't know that.'

'Cant he tell? Its not like I'm weak! I don't need anybody's help!'

Launa's sensitive side retreated to the dark corners of her mind. It had lost the battle against Willful Pride and Obstinance, but it had made itself heard. An accomplishment it had not achieved since Launa's early youth. It would try again, the one thing certain about the side that knows it is in the right, is that it will continue trying to persuade the side in the wrong, until it either wins or burns out.

"Launa" Luke's gentle voice broke in. "Are you cold?"

"No! I'm fine" she replied in a dissonant tone that caught Luke off his guard.

'Why did she sound so harsh?' he wondered, had he done something to offend her?

Launa gritted her teeth. The gentlemanly attentions that he was showing her were perplexing enough without him continuing in his strange ways. Why did Luke have to be so… so…? Her mind drew a blank; she knew no word to properly describe Luke's courteous comportment. No one had treated her in such a manner before, so she had had no reason to find a designation for such unusualness.

Launa took several deep breaths and focused on clearing her thoughts; an inborn trait she had always possessed.

Luke could sense Launa reaching out into the Force to clear her mind, he wondered what it was that she was trying to erase from her thoughts.

"So Luke" Launa said, her voice much calmer and her thoughts arranged in a more orderly manner. "What is the modus operandi for Jedi's and their Padawans?"

"I was hoping you knew, you seem to know more about the history of the Jedi than I do, and more about the Force than I expected," he said with a knowing glance at Launa.

"What?"

"You know how to use the Force to clear thoughts from your mind, a skill I have not even mastered fully yet."

"I do?" Launa asked intrigued by the unknown Force capability she possessed.

"You didn't know?"

"No"

Luke laughed, his blonde hair tossing around his head as he rollicked in the humor Launa not even knowing her own strength. Launa suddenly felt her heart beat in an unruly and entirely unacceptable manner, its loss of rhythm was inexplicable. Whatever was causing it to react to the sight of her master in such a way was to be found and banished from her as soon as possible.

"Its not THAT funny, Ben just never told me much about the Force, he was careful not to, he didn't want to leave me in the volatile state of a semi-trained individual who might be ensnared into becoming a user of the Dark Side."

"You never did get around to telling me about my parents, remember? We got too carried away in putting your house back in order, and then I started talking about my past and you never got the chance to tell me what they were like" Luke hadn't wanted to press the topic but he was desperate to know about his family.

"I'm so sorry Luke. Your mother's name was Padme Amidala and she was the elected Queen of the Naboo when your father met her. She was fourteen and he was nine. She was fearlessly going up against the Trade Federation, which was being used by Darth Sidious to block all trade and communication on her planet. She eventually saved her planet from doom by forming an alliance with the Gungans, a misanthropic society that dwelled underwater on Naboo and were very prejudiced against the land dwelling people of Naboo. My father was a mere Padawan under the tutelage of the great Jedi Qui Gon Jinn. My father always held him in the highest regard, he revered him almost as much as master Yoda. He died on Naboo in a battle with a Sith Lord."

"The Emperor?"

"No, this Sith was the Emperor's first completely trained apprentice; Darth Maul. Palpatine was still a humble senator for the Naboo System, no one even suspected him of being a Sith at that time."

"So what happened to this apprentice of his?"

Launa's smile was uncontainable, she let it spread over her face as pride welled within her. The tale of Darth Maul's defeat had been her favorite portion of the Jedi Chronicles but she had really enjoyed it when on the rare occasion her father told it himself while she sat at his feet. She had never tired of hearing him telling it even after she had reached her teen years the story still enthralled her and made her glow with pride in the brave deeds of her father.

"My father killed him" she paused to add dramatic effect to the words she would say next, "when he was only a Padawan." Luke stared at her in disbelief. She grinned. He succeeded where even his master failed, no Padawan had ever slain a Sith before. My father almost lost his life, and he did lose his lightsaber, a mishap that plagued him throughout the novitiate period of his training." Launa longed to tell Luke the entire story in minute detail but she realized she had gotten off topic. "Oh, meanwhile, back with Padme…" and with herself now realigned with the correct topic of interest she continued with the heroic and yet tragic tale of Senator Padme Amidala Skywalker.

* * *

On Quanar a timorous courier quickly entered the private office of Grand Moff Connosten. The messenger tiptoed up to the Moff's side.

"Yes" Connosten demanded curtly, not even deigning to look up from his work to acknowledge his page's presence.

"Uh… Uh… sir… I"

"Well spit it out oaf, I have better things to do with my time than listen to you stutter." Connosten snapped at his servant.

"Sir it is incumbent upon me to inform you of an egregious setback to your intentions towards the republic and its leading members."

"Well" Connosten said with a growl as he gritted his teeth and grasped his cup of Jahtola with such a vengeful grip that his servant feared it might very well break.

"Sir, we received a message from Commander Fallery informing us that he would arrive on schedule."

"and.."

"And that Supreme General and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker has been sighted in the company of the most feared and hated Launa Jordane."

Connosten flung his hot cup of Jahtola against the wall with such force that it knocked a chunk of the stucco wall out before it crashed to the floor. "By all the fires" he cursed. . "Its not as if those two audacious brigands don't plague me enough as individuals what hellish creature will they morph into now that they are a team. I suppose that supercilious Jedi Luke has gotten it into his head to train Jordane, what sort of foe am will I be facing next time I meet Launa Jordane." He rubbed his head and was about to turn to his page to ask for a dose of Tachayka, but his personal courier was nowhere to be seen. He would see to it that he was severely punished for such negligence.

Connosten picked up his comlink and contacted his chief of security.

"Yes sir?"

"I want security doubled throughout this complex do you understand?"

"Yes sir, may I ask why?"

"I have reason to believe Jordane and Skywalker may find their way here."

"Doubled security just because of two people sir?"

"Yes you fool, now do as I say" Connosten snarled and then clicked his comlink off.

His outlook on life was in the depths of depressiveness. His two worst enemies had joined forces, they probably knew where he was, and his own officers were questioning him while others abandoned him completely. He had to maintain complete control over his subordinates. If he didn't they would begin to think for themselves and easily might rebel against him, a prospect he could not risk becoming a reality.

He picked up his comlink once again and contacted the leader of his personal bodyguards.

"Chapuy?"

"Yes my lord" the commander seemingly hissed.

"I want you to dispatch one of your fellow commanders."

"Whatever your pleasure is I will do your bidding."

"I want you to assassinate Theobald the chief of palace security."


	11. Chapter 10 The Beginning Ends

**Chapter Ten**

The raucous jolting of the ship awakened Launa. Her eyes flew open. She quickly observed that they were entering the atmosphere of a sodden planet.

"Luke?"

"Yeah"

"Quanar is a desolate and dry planet."

"I know."

"So why are we landing on this planet instead."

"'Cause its still six days until the meeting on Quanar."

"Oh" Launa paused. "So where are we?"

"Dajobah, it's only a few hours flight from Quanar according to Artoo."

"Artoo?"

"Oh yeah, that's right you haven't met my droid yet. Artoo" Luke called.

The shiny chrome and blue astromech droid rolled up from the back end of the ship where he had spent the entire journey to Dajobah. The cheery droid made a few polite beeps of introduction.

Launa just gazed at the droid in amazement.

"You're it, the droid that saved the galaxy, its an honor, I'd shake your hand but you have none." Launa said with a laugh. "Luke why didn't you tell me you were carrying around the droid that saved my father."

"Saved? I would think you mean the droid who got your father killed."

"No, Artoo Detoo saved both my father and yours on multiple occasions and has more honorable mentions in the Jedi Chronicles then any other mechanical in the history of the galaxy!"

Luke stared at Artoo in astonishment. The droid that had been accompanying him on missions since he had left Tatooine for the first time had also served his father.

"Artoo Detoo? Do you remember saving Queen Amidala's ship, and serving as the personal astromech droid for Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker?"

Artoo beeped an affirmative.

Luke and Launa both stared at each other in incredulous amazement. They had not cleared his memory after Anakin's fall.

Luke carefully brought his ship in to land. All the while he was trying to wrap his mind around the age of his droid. He desperately wished that Artoo could speak, then the droid could tell him the stories of his father that he longed to hear.

Artoo returned to the back of the ship. He had all the memories of his life before entering Bail Organa's service neatly stowed in his memory bank.

Luke opened the top hatch and crawled out. Launa was slightly hesitant.

"What planet did you say this was?" She asked as she leaned over the edge of the cockpit.

"Dajobah"

"Why would the greatest Jedi Master want to live here?" She asked as repulsion filled her at the sight of so much moisture.

"You don't like it?" Luke asked slightly crestfallen.

"Not really"

"Why?"

"It's so… so… so wet!"

"You don't like water?" He queried in disbelief.

"Luke, I barely know what it is. In case you've forgotten Tatooine doesn't exactly receive a whole lot of rainfall. There is barely enough water to drink. You could bathe in all the water here."

"Actually Launa, the majority of the galaxy does use water for bathing." Luke chortled, he knew what she meant; he had used solar sanitizers for the majority of his life. Launa climbed down to the bottom rung of the ladder still timid about coming in contact with so much moistness.

"Here," Luke said as he reached into a nearby pond and scooped some water into his hands. He returned still carrying about a fourth of what he had started towards Launa with. He tried to pour it into her cupped hands but it ended up splattering off them. Launa laughed.

"It's not like sand at all."

"No it isn't its much cleaner and purer, and a lot more refreshing," Luke said as he splashed his face with some water.

Launa jumped off the ladder, her landing made a loud squish sound. She looked around confusedly.

"It's nothing Launa; the ground is just saturated with so much rain that it is part water itself."

She looked at the dark dirt under her feet. It was so strange, being surrounded by so much of such a previously rare substance.

Launa started towards the edge of the pond while Luke unloaded some camping gear from the ship. She moved towards the water as if spellbound. She got onto her knees and reached towards the placid surface of the pond. She wasn't quite close enough. She extended her hands forward and inched further out on the peninsula of rock that lead into the pond. She slowly moved closer to the edge on her hands and knees, her heart racing. What would it feel like? She wondered. On Tatooine, she had accidentally spilt water on herself once, but it had evaporated so quickly that the fleeting moment was just a fuzzy blur and she could not remember what it had felt like. She reached out with both hands to touch the surface of the dark pond. As she leaned forward, she lost her balance and slipped on the moisture coated stones and fell head first into the water. It was deep. She was so surprised that she opened her mouth in dismay, water poured in. The feeling of being immersed in the water was marvelous. It was like some enchanting Elysium. Launa just didn't move, for a moment, didn't breathe, just slowly sunk. Suddenly she realized she needed air, she started to breathe in but water simply poured into her mouth and nose. It struck Launa that she did not know how to return to the surface. Panic began to set in as she tried to turn herself so that she was parallel to the surface and walk out. It failed. She still had a little air in her lungs, she tried to think but slowly the light from the surface began to fade. Her feet met the bottom of the pond and it caught her so off guard so much that she released the last few bubbles of oxygen from her lungs in surprise. The shapes of dirt and rocks and the light from above all became fuzzy and it looked as though she were staring at a bright yellow white light everywhere she turned. What if this was the end? She asked herself. 'No! Not now! Her life had just begun, it couldn't end now.'

She stopped moving, the question vaguely crossed her mind 'I wonder how much of a fight death will be?' She shut her eyes trying to stop her world from spinning and churning in painful bright shades of white. Suddenly the bright light and the churning stopped and nothing was left except for the darkest of obsidian blacks. The last bit of air escaped Launa's lips, rising to the surface of the pond. Then all was still.


	12. Chapter 11 Breaking Through

**Chapter Eleven**

Horror filled Luke as he turned to the pond and saw a few stray bubbles rise to the surface. Without a second thought or a second to spare, he dove into the water. He pushed the water away from him as he headed perpendicular to the surface. He opened his eyes, but everything was so dark that he could hardly see his own body, much less that of Launa's. Luke became afraid that he was too late. The oxygen in his lungs was running thin. He couldn't just turn back and leave his Padawan. He summoned up the strength to go deeper and hold his breath a little longer. Near the bottom of the pond a tiny sparkle caught his attention. He powered himself downwards as fast as he could. He recognized Launa's form and swiftly gathered her into his arms and swam up to the surface.

As his head broke the surface, he gasped in the available air. He walked out of the pond with Launa in his arms. He set her down on the bank. Anxiously he felt her pulse.

It was slow, very slow.

Hoping to revive her, he turned her on her stomach and placed his hands on her back. Then with a firm thrust, he pushed down on her back. A little water escaped out of Launa's mouth but she did not respond. Luke pushed down again. More water was ejected, and a slight moaning sound accompanied the expulsion of liquid. Hope kindled in Luke's eyes, he pushed down once more and the rest of the water Launa had ingested was violently expelled. She coughed slightly and then moaned. She turned herself over and her eyes flew open. Everything was a shimmering white and nothing had any form. She shut her eyes and asked. "Am I dead?" Her voice sounded so strange to her own ears that she presumed she must have passed on. But no, she couldn't be dead. She could feel the wet earth on her skin and smell the musty odor of the moss filled woods. She could hear a voice, it sounded faint and distant, like a dull reminder of something almost forgotten. She blinked, her vision was still muddled, but she could make out the indistinct form of the shapes that surrounded her. Slowly the forms around her took on more conforming shapes and proportions.

"Launa?"

She could hear the words, and she knew the voice.

"Yeah" she replied weakly, her voice hoarse from coughing.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked in a dulcet tone. His hands clasped her shoulders to assure her that she was still among the living.

"Sure, I'm ready for anything" Launa said as she started to sit up. She grimaced and then laid back down.

"Maybe you should take it easy for a couple of minutes."

"No, I'm fine, I'm just kina dizzy."

"Maybe you should avoid the water," Luke said teasingly.

"No, I like it; I just don't know how to not sink."

"Oh" Luke was relieved that this experience had not made Launa fearful of water. There were many planets that were over half covered by water, and it would be inconvenient to say the least if she persisted in avoiding all watery systems. Merinth, the headquarters of the New Republic, was a watery system itself. "I could teach you how to swim, if you want to."

Launa looked at Luke puzzledly.

"I don't understand you."

"Oh," Luke flushed slightly "swimming is the process of not drowning."

Launa let out a soft laugh.

Luke looked around nervously wondering how to proceed.

"Thank you Luke" Launa paused and swallowed as if her next words were a struggle for her to say. "For saving my life" she smiled a little smile but then it turned sour and serious.

"What?" Luke asked curious about the sudden change in her expression.

Launa sat up and looked squarely into Luke's wide blue eyes. "I've never owed anyone a thing in my life, least of all my life itself, it's kind of irritating." Launa paused she was sounding awfully harsh considering he had saved her life, "not that I mind" she quickly added. "I've never owed my life to anyone and I don't quite know how I feel about it."

Luke laughed, "You think about things too much, don't worry about it."

"No" Launa protested. "I owe you my life as an individual, and it is not a matter that I can trivialize no matter how much you wish me to do so. I am indebted to you. And it is a debt that can never be erased so you understand my predicament. I owe you not only my eternal gratitude but as a means of paying off my debt, I am at your disposal for anything you wish. Which makes this very awkward for me, seeing as I've never owed anyone such weighty debt."

"Don't sweat it Launa" Luke said casually. His face suddenly grew thoughtful, owing someone your life was quite a hefty debt, but what could either of them do about it.

Luke offered Launa his hand to help her up to her feet. She looked at him with a befuddled look on her face, but where confusion dominated there was also a tinge of reproach in her look.

"Not ready yet?" Luke asked.

"No, that's not it," Launa said climbing to her feet on her own power. "I'm just not used to the foreign customs you have acquired."

"What?" Luke asked in utter bewilderment.

"Your odd manners, they confuse me. Its nothing against you personally, I'm just not used to people helping me that's all."

Luke looked straight at Launa, his eyes piercing through her.

"I don't expect anything in return, its called being polite, hasn't anyone ever done anything for you before?"

"No!" Launa said, almost shouting. "I don't need people's help, everyone on Tatooine knew that. My friends gave me my space and would not have insulted me by implying I was helpless!" Suddenly Launa become conscious that what she was saying had just been falsified by the recent events.

"I wasn't trying to hurt your pride, I was trying to be nice, didn't your friends on Tatooine ever do anything for you? Or did they just leave you the way you prefer to be: alone." Luke walked off to the ship and slung all three bags over his shoulders.

Launa had been stung by the truthfulness of Luke's remark. Her mind wandered back to the memories of her three best friends. Two were in their graves and had been for over seven years. The other had left on a cold night not long after the deaths of her two cousins. He had left the Outer Rim in order to escape the swarm of bounty hunters that were constantly coming after him.

Those had been busy days, when her friend got very little sleep, and she got less. She remembered staying up all through the night to watch for the persistent bounty hunters that were trying to track down every ally of the Smuggler's Rebellion and reap the massive rewards that came with their capture.

Launa came out of the past and remembered that the present is all you have, and that she was doing a fine job of messing it up for herself.

"Luke" she said nervously as she jogged up to his side. He was silent for a moment. He wondered if he had been too rash in taking Launa to be his Padawan if someone as prideful as her would make a good Jedi.

Launa walked by his side anxiously waiting for him to respond. She knew that what he said had been true, she was too full on her own pride. She had never let anyone see beyond her thick-skinned and tough shell she used her independent mentality as a way to ward off anyone from getting too close. After all, if you lose someone close to you the pain of losing that person becomes twice as agonizing. She realized she had never let anyone, even her friends, any nearer than the impenetrable fortress that she had erected for herself.

"I'm so sorry Luke!" Launa burst out. "I'm a horrible person and I don't know how I'll ever become a Jedi as bad as I am."

"I didn't mean that you were horrible Launa," Luke protested.

"Who said this had anything to do with you?" Launa's hand flew to her mouth and covered it, she was aghast at the ruthlessness of her own tongue. I really am awful. I have pushed away everyone I have ever known. I've been the most selfish person imaginable. I cant believe I've been this dreadful."

"You're not any of those things Launa" Luke soothed. You've just spent too much time alone and spent too much time looking out for yourself that you haven't let anyone truly know you."

"So there's hope for my horrible self."

"Of course, and by the way, you're not horrible. I wouldn't take anyone who was horrible as my Padawan." Luke said with a laugh.

Launa started to take her bag off Luke's shoulder.

"That just doesn't seem fair to me."

"What?" Launa asked.

"Why is it that you think you can selfishly hoard all helpfulness to yourself and not let anyone help you?"

Launa stopped walking. For a moment, she just stood there pondering what Luke had said.

"Do I have to let people help me?"

"You don't have to but it sure would be nice."

"That makes no sense at all Luke. How does me letting people help me qualify as nice, I just end up owing them more."

Luke turned to look at Launa.

"You really don't get the concept of mutual friendship, mutual responsibility, do you?"

"Uh… no"

"You mean you've never been in a I watch your back you watch mine kind of relationship."

"No, I watch your back and I watch my back is how things are with me."

"No wonder" Luke said under his breath. Launa had been bearing a double burden all through her life. Her friendships must have been lopsided affairs.

"Listen Launa, its like this, if you act like you don't need anyone's help then no one will help you."

"That's fine" Launa said empathically.

"No, its not, you're not just cheating yourself of having a happier life, you're cheating the people around you. How can they show you that they care if you don't let them, and how can they enjoy the pleasure that comes with accomplishing a kind deed if you greedily take all the helpful opportunities for yourself and don't let anyone help you in return."

"I suppose you have a point, but… but I just don't get it."

"Launa do you think your father would have refused to let people help him the way you refuse to let people help you. Life is a team effort you cant just go through it on your own and say your living. People need other people, whether they want to admit it or not."

"Ok" Launa muttered.

"Besides," Luke added with an almost mischievous tone in his voice. Launa looked up, she was wary about just what Luke was going to say next. "You claim that you are indebted to me, if so all I ask of you is that you let me help you without having to dig deep into the thought patterns of the human mind."

Launa laughed.

"You want me to pay my debt to you by letting you help me whenever you like?"

"Yes"

"That's an absurd notion, but seeing as you're the master and I am the Padawan and its me who is indebted to you then I guess I have no say in the matter but could you at least give me some sort of warning before you start doing random acts of kindness?"

"If I forewarned you, then they wouldn't be random would they?"

They both let out ebullient peels of laughter and walked on through the dense woods of Dagobah. The grey shabbiness of their surroundings almost seemed lightened just by the sound of their laughter.


	13. Chapter 12 Experience

**Chapter Twelve**

Luke stopped in front of a sturdy low built structure that seemed to be built of hardened mud but it was so covered in overgrowth that Launa could not quite make out what kind of material had been used to build it. Luke bent down and opened the door to the hovel. Luke peeped his head inside the low door to make sure nothing dangerous had decided to inhabit the lone house since Master Yoda's death. It looked safe, save for a few large cobwebs and various insects crawling around on the floor and walls.

"A low built house with a frugal amount of interior decoration, Yoda lived here, didn't he?"

"Yes" Launa seemed to know more about the people he knew than he did himself.

"It's almost eerie being here," Launa said quietly, "to be in the house of one of the greatest Jedi Masters ever to live is a little overwhelming."

Luke smiled faintly at the memories of Yoda that were so alive in his mind even though his venerated master had passed on almost nine years before. He still felt strangely attached to the small hut, even with its owner no longer abiding in it.

Launa stooped down and entered the house, her face encountering some cobwebs as she entered.

"Pleh!" she tried to spit out the spider webs that had gotten caught on her lips and face. Yuck!"

She turned around to look back at Luke. He laughed softly and then proceeded to pull the stray bits of webbing off Launa's face for her.

"See Launa, aren't things easier when you let people help you."

Launa blushed, Luke was right; things went smoother when you had a teammate to help you.

"Fine, you win! But don't expect me to get used to all this helpfulness in one day." She said jestingly.

"Yeah but I do need to got get Artoo, he kina got left behind."

A small whirring sound came from behind Luke as Artoo Detoo arrived and let out a few friendly chirps.

"Is the ship locked up?"

Artoo made some cheery and almost plaintive sounds as if he had been offended by the fact that his master did not think him capable of making sure the ship was secure.

"Artoo" Launa's voice called from the interior of the hovel.

The droid let out some whistling beeps and then rolled into the small hut.

Launa soon had Artoo helping her and Luke eradicate all of the pests that had invaded Yoda's home since his death. Launa moved on from pest removal to an overall cleaning of the house. There were no rags available, so Launa changed out of her wet shirt and used it to clean with. Luke assisted her where he could.

Launa smiled, letting people help you wasn't as humiliating as she thought it would be. It was kind of nice to be treated like she was worthy of notice and that spending time in her company was an appealing thing. She sighed happily, and it was as if that in releasing that breath she also released her heart to love to its fullest and let things go their course without resisting them for no reason other than her stubborn pride. She worked with a radiant vigor that she had lost when her father left. She felt refreshed and with her renewed perspective.

By nightfall, the house was in perfect order. She and Luke sat down to a meal of Tarfa bars and canned Algonqua, while Artoo Detoo recharged his batteries in the corner.

"So Luke" Launa stated after finishing the last spoonful of her food, "What are we doing here?" She said with a gesture towards their general surroundings.

"You haven't guessed?"

"No"

"I decided you needed some intense training to prepare you for the upcoming encounter with your nemesis. I don't want you to be in that volatile state of a half trained Padawan when you face Fallery. A duel with him just might be the biggest test of your Jedi career, and I'm going to do my utmost to prepare you for it. I only hope that you will do your utmost when the time comes to face your fears."

"Fears? I'm not afraid of Fallery."

"In a way you are, we all are inwardly afraid of the things we hate, that's why we hate them, if we understood them and accepted them as simply being evil and stopped there then we would pity them. But hatred is fear without pity."

Launa was silent for a long moment, her mind processing the weight of what Luke had just said. He was right, as usual; she did fear Fallery, not the man himself, but all the dreads and losses that he represented, it was the fear of loss that made her hate him. Because, after all, he had been the cause of most of the losses in her life, and the only thing Launa feared was loss.

Launa unrolled her bedroll and slipped in, her mind still analyzing what Luke had said to her. Luke clicked off his electrolamp and got into his own sleeping bag. Luke smiled; he had made a wise choice in choosing Launa to be his Padawan. She may be rough around the edges, but she had a good heart, and he knew she would do her best to become the best that she could be.

As she lay there she let the full magnitude of what was about to happen sink in. She was beginning her training. She wriggled under her bed coverings, exuding glee.

Luke restrained a laugh, the usually serious Launa was so excited and happy about her training that Luke could sense it in the Force from all the way across the room. He looked at the ceiling and grinned, she was one unique woman. He lay on his mat, his hands clasped behind his head and his expression thoughtful. Launa had awoken feelings in him that had long been asleep, he couldn't let those feelings cloud his judgment, and he couldn't let them grow, he was a Jedi and Jedi were not supposed to let relationships interfere with their duty. He sighed, that was the price of being a Jedi, you couldn't have everything your way. It was either love or loyalty to your calling as a Jedi Knight.

It started to softly rain outside, the peaceful sound made Luke drift closer to sleep. Suddenly though the storm turned vicious, a streak of lightning split the sky and was followed by a tremendous thundering. Launa sprang up on her mat.

"Luke, what is it? Who is attacking us?" Launa said with panic in her voice.

Luke sat up. "Its fine Launa, we're not under attack, its just a rainstorm." Luke gently coaxed, realizing Launa was human and could get frightened just like anyone else.

"What's a rainstorm Luke?" Launa asked, still tense from her sudden and frightening awakening.

"You've never heard of rain?" Luke asked incredulously, he knew even on Tatooine with rain as scarce as it was, it was still mentioned in the schoolbooks of Tatooine academies.

"I've read about it but the books never mentioned all the lights and noises," Launa said as she crept closer to the window by Luke's cot. She looked out in wonderment at the flashing of distant lightning. A bolt struck close by, startling Launa. She jumped back falling backwards into Luke. He held her; she was shaking. Luke was startled by the fact that the woman who had fearlessly faced combatants and assassins for most of her life was shivering in his arms.

"Oh this is all wrong," Launa said with a sigh.

Luke looked toward the ceiling in despair, he knew that Launa's moment of weakness would not last for long, he expected her to leave his arms and fend for herself against the fear she was facing.

"Luke" she said sitting up and facing him, "I nearly died today! And you know what, I wasn't afraid, not one bit, and here some freakish natural occurrence terrifies me out of my slumber, this is not right" she said emphatically. She leaned back into Luke's arms.

"It's okay Launa," Luke said in a soothing tone. "I was startled when I saw my first thunderstorm; it wasn't quite what I had expected rain to be either." Luke put his hands on her shoulders and nudged her closer to the window. Luke took Launa's hand in his and then put them out into the rain. "See, its not going to hurt you, nothing ever will, I promise." Luke checked himself; he had said too much, he could not let his feelings for Launa grow, nor could he let her know. It wouldn't be fair for her to know that he loved her and that neither of them could do anything about it because they were Jedi. "I mean, you're my Padawan and its my responsibility to look out for you."

"I know" Launa said sleepily as she fell drifted back to sleep thinking of how little she knew. On Tatooine, she knew everything about everything, now that she was in the big wide universe she realized just how little knowledge she truly possessed. Up until meeting Luke and leaving Tatooine, she hadn't known about rain or thunder or lightning or swimming or drowning, or the strange sensation she was experiencing as Luke held her in his arms.

She hadn't known the feeling of safety before either, not for a long time anyways. She had lived alone for ten years carrying the weight of an entire planet, she had battled battalions of Imperials, hundreds of bounty hunters, and faced the constant threat of an assassin lurking in the shadows ready to end her life with the pull of a trigger. Now, for the first time since her father had left, she felt safe, as if it didn't matter what happened she had someone who would look out for her and advise her. The feelings she felt were different from the feelings of protection that her father had provided; much different. She didn't know, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She had an intuitive inkling about the emotions that Luke evoked in her and she did not want to admit to them, she would have to deal with the fact she was in love with her master if she admitted to it, and she had no wish to do either. Her mind slipped into hazy sleepiness as she tried to sort out just what the feelings she was experiencing were and how to deal with them. She slumped falling back into Luke's arms. He held her, he knew it was wrong, he knew as a Jedi intemerate love was the only kind he was allowed to partake in, but she was his perfect match in every way, if only… oh it wasn't worth thinking about, things were what they were and he couldn't change it. She was shivering in the wet coldness of the Dagobah nights. Luke took the blanket that had been covering his bare chest and wrapped it around her. He picked her up and carried her while walking on his knees back to her mat.

She moaned and her eyes opened.

"Thanks" she said "I was cold" her eyes opened wider and saw Luke leaning over her. She noticed his bare chest and felt her face grow flushed and hot.

"Goodnight Launa"

"Goodnight Master" she said with a not so discreet giggle.

"Hey, just stick with Luke will you?"

"All right, goodnight Luke" She said his name gently and then closed her eyes in utter bodily weariness. Her mind however still had things to consider. A new life was opening before her and it promised to be one full of new hope and new adventures.

For a while, her body and mind wrestled each other for dominance, but eventually her bodily need for sleep overcame her thought processes and she fell into a soothing slumber.


	14. Chapter 13 The Jedi Legacy

**Chapter Thirteen**

Both Luke and Launa awoke feeling quite refreshed by their peaceful night's rest. Launa prepared a Spartan breakfast and then they went out into the swamps of Dagobah to begin her training. The pale morning mists swirled about Launa's feet and legs, at first she was wary of it but after Luke explained that fog was simply clouds on the ground her apprehension vanished and she boldly walked through the wispy ground clouds. They were both very cold. It was the time when the early morning chill of dawn is still grasping the world with its cold tentacles, when the coldness of night still lingers but the warmth of the day will soon conquer it.

AS the sun rose higher in behind the clouds, it warmed the air and by midday it was stiflingly warm. Launa soon realized she was perspiring, an occurrence almost as rare as rain on Tatooine. As the day and Launa's training wore on, both of them realized that it was high time they took a respite. The air was so filled with moisture that it was difficult to take in a full breath, especially after being so accustomed to the arid climes of Tatooine as Launa was.

"Its getting too hot to work" Luke commented.

"No its not I still want to learn more today" Launa protested.

"I didn't say I was going to stop teaching for the day" Luke clarified as he eyed her conspiratorially. "There is something else that I promised to teach you, remember?"

"Not exactly" Launa admitted with a blush. Luke lead Launa to the edge of one of the nearby ponds. "Oh" Launa exclaimed.

Luke lead her into the water gradually and carefully explained to her how to swim. Luke had to fish her out about a dozen times before she finally got the hang of it, after that she progressed rapidly.

After swimming about and getting involved in splashing battles with Luke for over an hour, her seemingly boundless energy subsided and she started swimming on her back. She was relaxed and Luke watched her float on top of the surface.

"Luke"

"Mm" he said lazily.

"What is your family like?"

"Oh, well, Leia is very strong and independent, and yet gentle, she manages to be a mother, a warrior and a political leader, and still retain her princess-like grace." Luke paused, "Han is like you."

"Is that good or bad?" Launa asked teasingly.

Luke laughed, "That depends, I mean you both are brave and reckless, and you both seem to enjoy teasing people, and not letting others very close to you unless you are certain you can trust them completely."

"Am I really like that?" Launa asked. "I mean do I really come off that stoic about letting people close to me?" Launa inquired her voice almost pained.

"Well.. yes you can be, especially on Tatooine, you didn't seem like you wanted to trust me no matter what I did."

"Oh, sorry, I'll try to be more trusting in the future."

Luke smiled. Launa turned over and started swimming on her stomach.

"So what about Leia and Han's kids, whatever their names are" Launa said trying to remember if Luke had even mentioned their names before.

"That would be Isis and Ben, Isis is named after Leia's childhood friend and governess, and she is six and a half. Ben is eight and he's named after your father."

"Wow, they named their first born child after, 'my' father."

"Yep, they figured that if it hadn't been for Ben, your father, they would have never met and Ben, their son, would never have been born."

"I guess that makes sense, if I wasn't heart set on becoming a Jedi, and if the impossible happened and a guy was interested in me enough to marry me, I would have liked to have named my son after my father" Launa mused.

Launa blushed as she realized her desire for motherhood had rather slipped out there all on its own. Luke blushed too, he knew what Launa felt, he had often looked at Han and his sister's children and wished that the Jedi Law didn't bind him, and that he could have a wife and kids of his own.

Launa and Luke made their way back to Yoda's hovel through the tangling vines and low hanging branches. Luke thought about what an amazing pupil Launa was. She did not behave like a complaining neophyte. She took to her training with an insatiable lust for learning. Her thirst for knowledge was almost alarming; she just didn't seem to want to stop until she knew everything there was to know. Throughout the day he had spent his time with Launa trying to bring her nearer to the Force. She had caught on quickly, and she had simply eased into using the Force to foresee events before they actually occurred.

As they walked through the dense forest, their hands accidentally made contact.

"Sorry" they apologized simultaneously, despite the fact neither of them truly was sorry for the encounter. They both found themselves wishing that they had not been born the children of Jedi, destined to carry on the Jedi legacy.

After eating supper Launa and Luke went to bed and were soon fell fast asleep, while Artoo tended the fire.

Launa and Luke had been asleep for a little over an hour when Launa's sleep became troubled. Artoo observed as she tossed in turned, moaning in anguish. Her breath rate increased, and she broke out into a fearfully panic-like fit of hyperventilation. Her face contracted in pain and she was perspiring excessively, especially considering the fact that it was a very cold night.

Artoo Detoo rolled across the floor and nudged Luke. Luke continued his easy breathing and peaceful slumber. Artoo bumped him again, this time using a little more force.

"Watch where you're going Artoo" Luke said, not very pleased at being awoken. Artoo let out a couple of plaintive beeps and rolled closer to Launa. Luke sat up and noticed Launa's disturbed behavior almost the same time he realized she was moaning frantically in some sort of cruel pangs of agony. Luke didn't know whether he should wake her or not. Would it be better to let her remain terrified in her nightmare, or should he wake her and risk causing her to go into shock.

Suddenly Launa's distraught tossing and moaning ceased, and she sat up so quickly that her head struck on the ceiling of the midget-sized house. She reached up to rub it and realized that she was drenched in sweat and that her she was panting. She touched her face, her forehead was wet with drops of perspiration. She let out a long breath and tried to forget what she had seen in her dream.

"Launa, are you okay?" Luke asked concern saturating his voice.

She looked at Luke and then looked away.

"I'm fine," she said before she slipped into silent weeping. Luke could tell that she was crying, something he'd never seen her do before. He crawled over to her cot and gently put his hands on her shoulders, they were feverish hot.

"Launa, its alright, whatever it was you dreamt it was just that, a dream, it wont hurt you" he coaxed. All the while remembering how she had promised to be more trusting and yet had tried to convince him she had not been affected by her night terror.

Launa turned over and faced him, taking his right hand in both of hers.

"You're alive," she said, her tone making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"Yes, of course, did you dream I wasn't?"

Launa didn't answer she just held his hand tightly, so tight that Luke could feel the circulation in it slowly become lessened and it go numb as Launa fell back to sleep. Luke just let Launa's hands rest in his as she slumbered peacefully. He knew he loved her. It was an inescapable and unavoidable truth. Like Darth Vader being his father, it was just one of those things which he had to accept and deal with. Only in his heart he did not want to stow it away in some desolate corner of his mind, he wanted to cherish this feeling, however forbidden it was.

He held her hand for almost an hour, enjoying the small moment of indulgence, how small her strong but short hands seemed inside his. It made him think about the fact that even though she was savior to a planet, and on her way to becoming a fearsome Jedi; she was still frail, whether she wanted to admit to it or not, Luke knew it. The night's events had proven it; Launa was capable of fear and weakness. Luke carefully tucked her hands under the covers of her mat and bade farewell to the bittersweet time he'd spent with her hands in his, he doubted he'd ever be allowed such a liberty if Launa had been awake. She could never love him, just like he could never let her know that he loved her. He sighed as he went back to his own cot and wrapped his blanket around him to block out the cold dampness of the night air.


	15. Chapter 14 The Children of the Jedi

**Chapter Fourteen**

Launa woke first. She went outside to wash her face in one of the smaller pools; she didn't trust herself enough to go into water that was over her head without Luke being around. As she rinsed the night's perspiration from herself, memories of her dream came unbidden into her mind. She tried to shut them out. She got up and walked back to the hovel. Luke was pulling his shirt on, Launa turned away and blushed.

"Oh, good morning Launa" Luke said as he straightened out his shirttail.

"Good morning Luke" Launa said cheerfully as she began unpacking their breakfast.

"Did you sleep okay, I mean after your dream and all?"

She cringed; she'd been trying to forget that she had ever had such a terrifying vision.

"Yeah, I slept fine after that." Images from her all too real nightmare crept into her mind. It had started so perfect and ended so cruelly. She had seen the life she longed for shattered into a billion pieces and destroyed to the point of oblivion.

She wouldn't let it happen, she'd leave if that's what it meant, she'd stay out of his life and keep to herself for the rest of her life. If not getting her dream life meant saving his then that's what she'd do. It wouldn't be easy but if the events from her dream started to become reality, she would make the ultimate sacrifice. She didn't let it trouble her too much though, the happy parts had been equally as impossible as the agonizing parts were possible. She ate her breakfast and then went outside. She knew her nightmare was a Force Vision and that if destiny had her life predestined to go that way she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She sighed. She wanted to ask Luke about Force inspired visions but suppose he asked her about what she'd seen, she couldn't tell him. No, she would keep it to herself and hopefully she'd forget about it soon.

Throughout the days that followed, Luke tried to pour all of his knowledge of the force into Launa, emphasizing the importance of her staying true to the good side during her upcoming battle with Fallery. Luke desperately wanted to prevent Launa from losing her innocence as he had done in his duels with Vader. He wanted to protect her but he knew that could not do her fighting for her.

Launa was trying to learn self-control; inwardly she futilely hoped that she might be able to control her love for Luke. Gradually Launa and Luke's understanding of each other began to grow, they argued less because they understood one another with more ease. Moreover, as their appreciation of each other grew so did the intrusive feeling of love that they felt towards each other. Wile the unwanted feelings grew, their friendship did likewise, it swiftly became a solid unbreakable rock upon which both of them could lean in times of trouble. It was firmly rooted in a deep knowledge of the other person and their likes, dislikes, and the general cumulus of things that made them unique.

Luke felt desperately hopeless when it came to Launa ever loving him. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman, and he couldn't have her. He was a Jedi, because he was the son of a Jedi, and it had been his destiny to carry on the Jedi legacy. Events had occurred that gave him no alternative. But why did Launa have to be such a perfect fit for him? She was beautiful, and so magnificent in her own way. Her independent nature was another obstacle to their ever being together, even if he could compromise enough to break the Jedi Code and marry, as his father had done, she would never bring herself to do the same. She was far too determined to be the best Jedi she could be that she would never let romantic feelings sway her from her purpose. Nevertheless, he loved her, her independent inviolableness and all. He understood that a woman who had lived on her own for near ten years, relying on her herself and her instincts in order to remain alive had no need for anyone. Launa didn't even try and hide that fact, she brazenly let everyone know that she was a fierce, independent warrior, who could comfortably survive by her own wits. Untouchable, but none the less lovable, that's how Luke thought of Launa.

She knew that she could never be good enough, pretty enough, or intelligent enough to ever have even the smallest chance of winning the favor of the savior of the galaxy. Everything was stacked against her. She knew that the only reason Luke had taken her as his Padawan was out of respect for her father and because, well he was the only Jedi around and someone had to train her in order to fulfill Yoda's prophecy. The only explanation for the genteel politeness he showed her was that it was his nature, and she was his Padawan, and yes, she conceded, she was his friend too. It was nice to know that she had one, but it was a little unnerving to know that that one friend you possessed was the man you loved with all of your heart and that no matter what happened he could never know how you felt.

Launa and Luke had one last evening on Dagobah. Then they would leave for Quanar, where Launa would face her ultimate trial. Luke had already deemed that if she resisted the temptation to let hate have its way with her during her duel with Fallery that her training would then be all but complete. She was already his peer with a lightsaber, and she had learned much during the short time that he had spent training her.

Launa had become comfortable with swimming alone, and she was indulging herself one last time before they left the next morning. She didn't have the slightest idea how long it would be until she could go for a swim again. The hazy sun of Dagobah was nearing the horizon but she ignored it, she loved the water. It was clean, and soothing. She strongly inhaled and then holding her breath went under, she touched the bottom of the pond with her feet and then propelled herself upward her sloppy wet hair flipping up as she reached the surface. She took a deep breath and watched the rings caused by the droplets from her hair increase in size as they moved away from their starting point. Luke who had silently watched Launa submerge and resurface let out a soft chuckle, Launa looked up, startled.

"Were you planning on coming back to the hovel?" Luke asked facetiously.

"Can't I stay a little longer?" she pleaded.

Luke smiled, despite all of Launa's grave maturity; she could still act like such a child at times. "It's getting late, I thought I'd walk you back," Luke said, hoping she wouldn't take offense to his politeness.

"Thanks" Launa said as she crawled out of the pond, her wet shirt plastered to her skin. Luke gave her his hand and helped her out. "Thanks she said as she picked up the towel from off the shore. Launa smiled as they started walking, matching her stride to his. Just like a child, she could wrap him around her finger without even knowing it. She was so young for a twenty-seven year old woman. Luke sighed, 'by the stars,' he loved her. He looked over at her adoringly, but she didn't notice, she was too busy painting a mental portrait of Dagobah, so that she could keep it with her forever and always. It was the first planet she had ever been on, aside from the planet of her birth of course.

That night, visions reached both Launa and Luke. They were different, but equally terrifying in their own dreadfulness. The frightening visions of what seemed to be their futures made both of them taut with terror while they wrestled with the horror of what they were seeing.

Launa's dream was the same as before, the same sweet reverie, which turned into the most frightening scene imaginable, and ended in the deepest of miseries.

Luke's vision focused on one scene in his future. He and Launa were in a nondescript room with steel floors that he did not recognize in the least. Launa was dying; she lay motionless on the cold metal floor, this scene melded into another. It switched into a different space in time, but the setting was the same soulless bleak steel room. In the next scene Launa had turned to the Dark Side, her lovely watery eyes were harsh and they had a yellowish hue to them, and they were filled with hate. The third installment of his dream was the most terrifying though. Luke saw himself in the same steel-floored chamber; he was furiously battling someone with his lightsaber in the deep shadows. Suddenly his dream was flooded with a glaring amount of light. He saw that his opponent was Launa. He was not just sparring against Launa; he was trying to kill her. He tried to stop his dream but he couldn't. Launa looked frightened, she was white as a sheet and her clear blue eyes were wide in horror, she was saying something to him, but he couldn't hear her words. He continued to assail her; finally, she slipped exhausted onto the floor. He held his lightsaber at her throat, ready to take her life. He was about to strike her down when he woke up panting and in a cold sweat. He turned over to assure himself that Launa was still alive, and that his dream was not yet a reality. She was sitting up in her bedroll, breathing hard, her face was pale and her eyes wide with fright.

Launa got out of her sleeping bag, rolled it up, and walked outside slightly dazed.

Had she had the same dream? Luke wondered.

Launa stood outside in the cool pre-dawn mist. She liked Luke, more than she cared to admit, her dreams had proven that. The things she saw though, some of them just couldn't be true. She knew that the dreams were really Force inspired visions, she felt certain of that.

She went back inside. Luke was staring blankly at the wall, his arms were folded and rested on top of his bent knees. His expression was one of pain and puzzlement. She went to his side and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing" he said distantly "how about you?"

"Me?" Launa asked surprised, "I'm ready for anything."

"Well then I suppose we had better pack up and leave," Luke said in an oddly cold and distant tone of voice.

Thousands of parsecs away, on Merinth, Leia's sleep also was troubled. It seemed that Force visions were coming to all the children of the Jedi. Leia's vision also involved someone she deeply cared for. She saw one of her children, and her mind revolted against what it saw.

Leia tossed and turned in her sleep, moaning in acute pain. Han watched solemnly. What should he do? He wondered. Should he wake her and risk the aftershock that might occur? Or should he let her go on in the prison-like misery of this seemingly terrible nightmare?

Gradually Leia's distressed behavior lessened until she lay still, on her side, facing away from Han.

Han didn't know it but she was wide awake. She stared at the wall and tried to put the dream out of her mind. She did not want to see that happen to anyone, much less one of her own children, whom she loved tremendously. Suddenly, she wished, very much so in fact, that Luke was home, back on Merinth, and not on his mission. Surely her brother who knew so much more about the Force than she did, could explain whether it was just some frightening aberration of her distraught brain, or if it was, truly, a Force inspired vision of the future.

'No' her thoughts screamed, that could never happen, not to one of HER children.


	16. Chapter 15 Daughter of the Twin Suns

**Chapter Fifteen**

Quanar had a different solar cycle than Dagobah, so even though they had left Dagobah early in the morning and the flight had only been three hours long, it was past noon on Quanar.

Quanar was a forested planet with many trees and some open plains that backed up to the foreboding slopes of the tall mountains. Some of the mountains had a concave shape to them. The mountain ranges of Quanar all had active volcanoes. A thin layer of ash always covered the ground. The volcanoes made Quanar less popular than it would otherwise have been. It wasn't a sodden planet like Dagobah, it was simply lush and serene.

Launa understood why the peace loving Quans had chosen this planet for the location of their commune over two thousand years before. She gritted her teeth at the thought of their conscienceless slaughter at the hands of the Emperor and his mindless minions. The troops had murdered every last Quan. They were after all a very easy target. They had dwelled in the mountains, living in caves, they did not believe in war so they had no weapons and no way to defend themselves. Launa knew this and it incensed her to the point of angered hatred of all the people responsible for this horrific genocide. She took several deep breaths before following Luke out of the ship. She needed to be calm, she couldn't let her darker emotions get the better of her. She didn't want to let Luke down, he had put so much effort into training her, she owed it to him to remain steadfast to her Jedi training.

The high mountain air was refreshing, she took a long satisfying breath and then slid down the rail of the ladder on the side of the ship. Artoo followed her out of the ship in a more conventional way.

"Artoo, I need you to stay with the ship" Luke said. Artoo beeped plaintively.

"No, someone has got to stay here, and neither me or Launa can get out of this fight. And could you make contact with the base and tell them I've arrived."

." Luke hated to lay down the law and spout edicts, but if Launa wanted to become a Jedi, she'd have to face her most despised enemy. It wasn't just a Trial of Skill, it was a Trial of the Flesh, Courage and Spirit. Fallery had caused her pain, the question was could she become detached enough to simply fight him for goodness' sake and not let her thirst for revenge interfere. There was no way to be certain until she came to her most significant Trial, it was the culmination of her training. It was the cumulative combination of all four of the main Trials listed in the Jedi Training Guide.

Luke and Launa left the ship in the watchful care of Artoo Detoo and proceeded to hike their way out of the clandestine mountain valley where they had landed. They were cautious with their movements, constantly on guard for any danger that might be lurking, as out of place as it might seem on the still slopes of the mountain.

The databank planet profile system or DBPPS warned that large quadrupeds roamed the forests of Quanar and that anyone traveling through them should stay on their guard at all times. Luckily for Launa and Luke they both knew how to reach into the mind's of animals and sway them from their savage ways, at least long enough for them to make a hasty departure from the animal's presence.

Together they came out of the valley, ascending a mossy hillock. From its summit they could see the great expanse of the plain of Tartan, and the precipitous gorge that bordered the fortress of Taljean. Taljean; the massive fortress that Palpatine had commissioned Connosten to build. It stuck out like a hideous reminder of the Empire's cruelty and soullessness. Even though most of the complex was subterranean, what was above ground crudely blotted the natural flowing beauty of the countryside.

They trekked down the slope of the hill, dodging in out from behind trees, trying to escape the notice of the sentries that paced the walls of the fortress. They came to the fortress from the east side.

At the base of the east wall, they stood together and caught their breath. They summoned their energies through the Force. Launa glanced at the stone blue mountains. She turned to Luke and saw that he was grimacing.

"What?" she asked concerned.

"A disturbance in the Force" Luke said quietly.

"I didn't feel anything, what do you think it is?"

"It has to do with my sister, something may be wrong on Merinth."

"Oh"

They were both silent for a moment. Luke was deep in concentration.

"Sorry to interrupt you Master, but how are we going to scale this wall?"

"One of us is going to use the Force to lift the other one over the wall."

"Um how about you lift me, I don't want to be responsible for my Master falling ten feet and breaking his neck."

"Alright" Luke agreed.

Launa straightened out the hem of her shirt and stood still, awaiting Luke to Force lift her over the wall.

He turned to her and said, "You don't have to do this you know, when I told Artoo we both had to go I…" Launa had her hand over Luke's mouth and was looking straight into his eyes.

"No" she said determinedly. "Listen Luke, I'm not leaving you to face the insurmountable on your own!" she took her hand off his mouth. "I'm not some frail female who's going to disintegrate at the least sign of difficulty. So, please do me a favor, stop worrying. If anything happens to me it will probably be my own bloody fault!"

He couldn't respond with what he felt, he couldn't tell her that preserving her life was his highest priority because he loved her more than his own life.

They both stood there quietly for a moment.

"Are you ready?" Luke asked.

"Yes or at least I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Launa began to levitate above the ground, steadily ascending towards the top of the wall. She was at the top when she saw a detachment of Farhe come up a flight of stairs onto the walkway. She froze, they would no doubt see her struggling arms as she gripped the wall.

"Catch me" she said to Luke as she let go of the wall. He did, and they both fell to the ground and then they quickly scrambled out of sight. They waited for the troops to pass and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked, it had been a long fall from the wall to the ground and even he wasn't able to break her fall completely.

"Yeah, I think so, anyways lets try that again now that the Farhe have passed.

Luke focused and once again Launa began to move upwards, she made it to the top of the wall, pulled out the rope that Luke had given her before they got off the ship and then threw it down to him. She pulled held the rope firm in her hands and helped pull him up. Then they quickly found the stairs that went back to the ground level and descended them.

They came around a sharp corner and almost ran into a group of about twenty guards.

Quicker than sight they drew their lightsabers and began deflecting blaster fire. They stood back to back and took turns blocking fire with their lightsabers and returning it with their blasters.

Only a few guards remained and they were making efforts to protect themselves as they fired at the two Jedi. Launa and Luke separated, seeking out the guards that were attacking them. Launa became engaged with a middle-aged Farhe commander, who seemed to be the apparent leader of the troop. The commander swiftly drew his own lightsaber. Launa's blood boiled, how dare Connosten arm his men with the sacred weapon of the Jedi. They came together in battle; they fought each other in an intensity-filled duel.

The Farhe commander was quite certain that he could succeed where all others had failed. He eyed her with confidence as he swung his lightsaber at her. He was one of Connosten's personal guards, besides, she was such a small woman. He grinned maliciously as they circled, staring gravely at each other before going in for the final round of the duel.

Then Launa in the inborn battle stance that she had inherited from her father, she stretched one of her arms forward, held two fingers in a forked position, swirled her lightsaber and then made a thrust at her opponent.

The guard was taken aback by the renewed vigor with which Launa was fighting him. He slowly began to understand why so many others had failed against her and her superior skill with the lightsaber. He fought back, he could beat her, she was mortal, she could be beaten. The audacious commander rallied his courage and set his mind to finding a weakness in her form so that he might take advantage of it.

"Launa" Luke shouted, waving his arm for her to follow him. Launa hesitated for a moment and then dealt the commander a fatal blow. As the Farhe commander fell to the ground his still active lightsaber lacerated Launa, from her midriff to her lower ribs, causing a wound several centimeters deep. She staggered over to Luke's side and gave him a reassuring smile.

Luke hadnt seen her receive her ghastly injury, he had been to engrossed in studying the out of date map of the complex that the Republic had provided him.

"You ok?" He asked as he looked at the map becoming more and more confounded with each glance at the chart.

"Yes, would you 'please' stop worrying about me, I'm fine, really" Launa felt a pang of remorse for telling such a bold faced lie to her own master, but she just couldn't let him know that she was injured, he wouldn't let her fight, and he needed her help. He needed more help than just hers but she was the only one available and she was not going to abandon him. Injured or not she would stand by her master's side.

Launa walked up to the doorway, opened the keypad, stared at it for a moment or two, pondering all the possible passwords, and then typed in the most likely. Silently saying a prayer that it was the one by which they would gain entrance to Connosten's mansion. The doors opened with a mechanical swoosh, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She permitted herself a secret smile; the pass phrase had been obvious but rather foreboding if one's name was Launa.

Side by side, they entered the building, they both cast wary glances in all directions, and then they continued on. They knew there would be several passageways and connecting corridors that they would have to traverse before reaching the mansion itself and its ominous council chamber.

"According to the map the Council Chamber is on the side of the mansion nearest to where we are now, all we need to do is find our way through this maze. Things seem do have changed since this map was made."

"Connosten probably altered it after the Empire's fall." Launa said as she started down the corridor that her keen sense of direction told her was the proper way to go.

As they made their way through the various hallways, they both seemed to realize just how drastically the complex had been altered. None of the halls led to where they were supposed to lead, and neither Luke nor Launa had any clear idea of which direction they were facing after jogging down so many opposing corridors.

"Great!" Luke said in disgust.

"Shh… listen" Launa said in a curt whisper.

Luke listened, and he could hear the sound of heavy boots tramping on the polished floors of the hallway. Quickly, they hid themselves in a nearby alcove. It led into a room filled with cleaning supplies. They stood there waiting for the troops to pass.

"I have an idea" Launa said quietly just as the detachment of Farhe rounded the corner. Luke nodded and then became motionless. Launa shared her plan in such a light voice that Luke was surprised he could even hear her, it was almost as if she was sending her words through the Force, like a comlink of sorts. Luke and Launa waited until all but the last soldier had passed. Then Launa grabbed the straggling member of the unit and put her hand over his mouth.

With some assistance from Luke she managed to drag the unsuspecting Farhe trooper into the supply room, and wrest his weapon from him.

"The door only opens from the outside" Luke said in a distressed tone.

"I'll handle this, you guard the door." Launa said as she shoved the soldier into the corner.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked.

"Yes" she replied, and Luke shut the door.

Launa knew that her reputation among the servants of Connosten was much fiercer and far more intimidating than that of her Master. He helped bring peace to the galaxy, she had been a constant threat of war and rebellion on Tatooine. If she had wished to do so she could have rallied a second rebellion against Connosten on Tatooine, but she had no desire to see any more innocent lives obliterated by war.

Launa quickly grabbed some of the cleaning cloths from the pile in the supply room and bound the legs of her captive with them. The terror-stricken soldier simply stared wide-eyed at the most feared woman in the galaxy. He hoped she wouldn't gloat over him, or make him wait too long for him to meet his death.

"I need two things," Launa stated as she used some more of the cloths to make a bandage for the wound she had received in the quad. "I need to know where the council…"

"You're injured" the soldier exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, dammit" she said in an irritated tone. "I am mortal and these things do happen. Now tell me where the council chamber is."

The trooper eyed Launa timorously, but underneath his fear, rage ran through his veins. But Launa was not to be trifled with, that was well known to every soldier under Connosten's command, you either killed her, or if you couldn't succeed in that, you ran from her. As it was, the luckless soldier could do neither, so he did as she asked and gave her exact instructions on how to get to the council room.

"What was the other thing you wanted?" The soldier asked, not knowing why, it seemed a foolish question to ask but it came out of his mouth nonetheless, and he could not reel it back in. He cursed his naïve youthfulness for not being more circumspect. He knew Launa was dangerous. She was more than that; she was evil.

"I need your hat and your jacket."

The rage that had been heating in the soldier's blood boiled over.

"Well just take them, you hellhound" the Farhe fighter shouted.

"I am not a thief, unless the item does not rightfully belong to the person who possesses it, which is not true in this case, and even if it were I would only take it to return it to its proper owner. It is a matter of conscience."

"You actually have one?" The soldier asked sardonically. "You murderess! You have destroyed the lives of thousands hundreds and yet you quibble over taking a coat and cap from me. What sort of protean desperado are you?"

Launa eyed him coldly, if she wasn't bound by the behavioral code of the Jedi she would have challenged the insolent youth to a fight without delay.

"I am no murderess!" she said her eyes aflame with indignation. "I only take a life when it is the only way to spare my own, or the life of someone I care for. I do not kill unless provoked, which is a great deal more than can be said about the soulless demagogue whom you call master." Launa felt anger rise in her as she thought of the innocent Quans. "He annihilated the peaceful Quans that once lived here. They had done nothing to provoke him, they simply dwelt in the mountains, spending their lives in quiet meditation and worship of their revered deity, Shanhahbla."

The young soldier hung his head in shame. He knew it was true, his father had helped lead the genocide.

"I know" he said quietly, "Its just you killed my brother Parka, and my father Tenmil and three of my cousins."

"And you don't think I've lost people I cared for. Imperials have torn from me everyone that I ever cared for; from my parents to my friends and cousins, I have lost everyone I ever loved at the hands of either the Empire or Connosten, who seems to be the leader of the remains of the Imperial reign."

She stooped down in front of the boy; he was only in his late teens.

"Why is there war?" the youth asked, the anger and hatred that filled his voice dissipated, and he looked to Launa as a lost child might to some kind stranger.

"I wish I knew," Launa said with a sigh. "Its people like us who have to fight the wars, and yet the real perpetrators never come to our level and fight in the wars they started. If it weren't for war there would be no reason for you to hate me, for I would never have been driven to kill your family. The galaxy would be peaceful, the way it ought to be if the Force ruled over us and not the whims of corrupt politicians and their lying servants." She took the young man's hat and jacket and put them on. "It is the power hungry and corrupt who start the wars, and we must fight them, but we need not hate one another." Launa said as she stood up.

"I do not believe I hate you anymore, or can ever hate an enemy again." The young soldier said in a diaphanous tone.

"What is your name?" Launa asked softly.

"Phrast, Phrast Yahonne."

"Well, may the Force be with you, Phrast Yahonne." Launa said and then knocked on the door for Luke to open it.

"Thank you, Philiss aba Kaiselles; Daughter of the Twin Suns." Phrast said, calling Launa by the name given to the heroines of Tatooine, which had not been bestowed upon any woman since the legendary Queen Satine.

"You know the ancient language of Tatooine?" Launa exclaimed in awe.

"Yes, my family comes from that planet, though it has been many years since the Yahonnes lived on Tatooine."

"Arka telsa mercare tay parsays; a pleasant meeting brother of the sands."

The door opened and she walked out, leaving it open.

Phrast simply stared at the open door as he leaned against the metal wall of the supply room.


	17. Chapter 16  The Dark Side Beckons

Chapter Sixteen

Luke tried not to let Launa distract him, but he was terribly worried about her. He felt that if any evil thing befell her it would be his fault, and he could never forgive himself if he brought harm to her. He wished that she had decided to stay with the ship, and that she could be spared from the inevitable fight with her archrival, Fallery.

Launa was desperately trying to make sure Luke didn't see how much pain she was truly in. When he looked back at her she smiled weakly. 'If he finds out he wont let me fight, and he needs me, actually he needs about twenty of me if he's planning on getting out of this alive.' A voice deep inside of her replied, 'don't get so overconfident as to think that you don't need him just as much or more than you think he needs you.' 'Alright' came a silent rebuttal, 'but I don't have the time to figure out this confusing mixture of self-destructive emotions and double meanings right now, I have to save my hide and Luke's too.'

She wiped the perspiration from her brow and let her face show her pain. However, as they rounded the corner, Luke looked back at her and saw the pain in her face.

"Launa! Are you okay?"

"Of course" she protested.

"Just checkin', are you sure you feel up to this?"

"Are you kidding? I'm ready for anything."

Luke smiled, he remembered how Biggs and him had used that very same motto throughout their friendship.

"Yeah, me too" he said and pressed on down the hall.

After zigzagging their way down a score or more hallways and narrow passages, they came to a rounded corner that turned into an open space that faced the imposing council chamber. They cautiously peered around the corner.

Two sentries were posted outside the doors to the council room. Luke took out the cape he had been carrying inside his jacket and put it on. Launa adjusted her Farhe uniform and made sure her untamable hair was all tucked under the cap. She looked at Luke, pulling the hood of his cape further over his face. She smiled reassuringly at Luke, and he took her hand and pressed it in a quick but firm grip; wordlessly expressing that he would be there for her no matter what happened.

He boldly rounded the corner, Launa following at his side but slightly behind him. She was trying to diminish the obviousness of her breasts; there were no female Farhe. As they came within sight of the guards, she stood behind Luke and hoped to go unnoticed.

"What is your business with the council?" One of the guards asked.

"You don't need to question us" Luke commanded as he raised his hand and passed it through the air in a gradual sweeping motion.

"We don't need to question them," the guard said automatically.

"We can go in now."

"You can go in now."

Launa smiled as the doors opened. Quickly she and Luke made their way into the austere council chamber. The doors shut at Luke's command with a mild bang.

All conversation stopped, and everyone's eyes were on the two new arrivals.

Launa and Luke stood very still for a moment then Connosten stood up and addressed them. But before a syllable escaped his lips Launa had pulled her blaster and blown the controls for the door into pieces. Luke had cast off his cape and drawn his lightsaber during same moment. Launa drew her lightsaber: wielding it with one hand while the other held her blaster. They stood back to back protecting each other from the blaster bolts that were flying through the air from the two scores of armed council members.

Gradually they separated, each becoming involved in hand-to-hand combat. Launa was dueling with a human who was about her age, his head was covered in a square hat with flaps on three sides.

A strange looking four-legged giant insect-like creature was charging towards Luke. It scrambled forward on its sticklike legs, brandishing two electrostaffs in its crab-like claws. Luke took a step back. The odd-looking quadruped began to screech unintelligible maledictions at him as it rose up on its two hindmost legs, towered above its usual height, and then fell into the duel with Luke exhibiting overwrought and irrational behavior all the while. Luke wondered what sort of foreign oddity he was fighting. The thing had such an obscure way of thinking; he could sense it in the Force, the thing fought in a random manner because it thought in a random manner.

Luke gallantly fought the Cleosonian. He was now standing atop the smooth rock tabletop in the council chamber. Launa's eyes had fastened onto Fallery and she was blindly hewing down the council members that separated them; there were only two remaining. Fallery simply stood there calmly waiting for her to arrive. Luke removed the Cleosonian's front claw and two front legs in a swift in a precise movement with the blade of his lightsaber. Launa struck down the first of her two remaining opponents. Then the strangest thing occurred. A thing, which the thought of would trouble her for a long time, and greatly surprised her at the current moment. As she approached the final impediment between her and her climactic duel with Fallery, Fallery shouted.

"Get back" and Launa from engrained instinct jumped away from the man she was preparing to engage. Fallery blasted the unsuspecting council member and then came towards Launa. She wondered how her memories of Fallery's voice from when he had been a friend and compatriot of her friends who were smugglers could still be so strong as to make her obey his orders, even after so many darker and more sinister things had passed between them. He had been her rival and nemesis for almost 8 years. She had engaged him almost a dozen times and still she had heeded his command. She scolded herself as she walked towards him, her blaster in one hand and her lightsaber humming in the other.

Launa glanced over her shoulder at Luke, not knowing if she might not ever see him again. He stood tall against the stark color of the walls, his dark clothes counteracting the mundane grayish white color of the room. He looked admirable as he courageously took on opponents of varying size, species, and ability. She smiled with pride and then turned her thoughts to the man in front of her, the man she had hated with every fiber of her being for so long that it made her blood boil just to see him standing so smug and sedate there in front of her. An amusing as well as disturbing thought raced through her mind. During all of their previous confrontations Fallery had ran, why wasn't he doing so now? She could not find an answer to that question just then because Fallery flung his blaster aside and pulled out his blood red lightsaber in a defiant gesture. She glared hard at him and then cast her blaster aside as well. They made solemn eye contact, and then the battle commenced. Fallery swirled his lightsaber in bright arcs, but he was just toying with her, making random flourishes with it and not actually trying to strike her. He took a few steps back and held his blade vertical but at a slight angle.

"This is the final battle Launa," Fallery said in a somber tone.

"I hope so, for Tatooine's sake" she replied bitterly.

"Don't you mean for 'your' sake" Fallery said in a jilting hiss-like voice. "After all" he continued, "it was you who chased me across the desolate wastes of the Karinth Plains and Dune Sea, and it was you who tracked me around the circumference of Tatooine, and I do believe it was you whose longstanding vendetta against me has driven you to take an oath to see me slain?"

"Yeah, that's right, an oath I intend to fulfill here and now" she said raising her lightsaber triumphantly. Fallery simply laughed in a long unsettling train of cackling laughter.

"You wish" he said carefully enunciating each part of the two words with a dramatic pause in between them. Then with a malevolent glint in his eyes he; to Launa's horror, activated the second end of his lightsaber. The two glowing bars of solid energy hummed with a fervent desire to be put into action. Launa blinked. A twin bladed lightsaber; like Darth Maul's. The heat of hatred burned in Launa's heart, but she attempted to cool it by viewing things as if she were her father and Fallery Darth Maul. She was not the only one who had been forced to face the cause of their most heartfelt losses in hand-to-hand combat, and she would not be the only one to fail this test. Her father had passed it, her master had passed it, and countless other Jedi had as well, she would prove that she was made of stronger stuff than her middling stature and unprepossessing manner showed. She was the child of a Jedi Master and she would conduct herself as such.

Launa held her lightsaber up and stared Fallery in the face. "I am a Jedi's daughter, you have no power over me," she said aloud as she struck at Fallery. The scintillating arcs made by their lightsabers seemed to be the only sound in their ears, the noise of the terrorized council members was a distant hum that coincided with the hum of their lightsabers. They did parry and thrust until they started to near the edge of the balcony. They slowly made their way away from the edge and back into the center of the balcony.

Launa tried to fight back all of her aggressive feelings. She tried to shut out all the memories of death and defeat that had been dealt to her by Fallery. He was responsible for the murders of so many of her loved ones, she gritted her teeth trying to control her rage. Fallery was a bloodsucking fly that bloated itself on the corpses of the innocent. For a moment, Launa mused over how Fallery was holding steady, instead of bolting for one of the ships in the docking bays below the balcony. During all of their previous encounters he had ran away as quick as he could, but now he was genuinely trying to challenge her. She was befuddled, why would he stay now when she was a much more skilled swordswoman now than she had ever been? His reasons for remaining were probably malevolent so she decided to be on her guard more than ever for Fallery's unexpected and underhanded tricks.

They continued to duel each other while Luke effectively annihilated the council. Launa and Fallery had been fighting for several minutes and Launa had managed to keep her anger contained, but each time she saw his face in the glow of his red lightsaber she remembered her oath. She had made it after finding her two dearest cousins dead and that her third cousin blamed her. "I swear to you I'll avenge their death with Fallery's blood" she had told her cousin Tamara. That was the last time they had spoken to each other. Launa felt she couldn't face her family until she had fulfilled her promise, and Tamara could not bring herself to stop blaming Launa for her brothers' deaths until the chance of reconciliation had passed beyond her grasp.

Launa felt all of this as she fought Fallery. Slowly the slumbering rage began to awaken in her. Hatred ran hot in her veins and she felt that her life had only one purpose: to kill Fallery. She no longer cared about the costs of attaining that goal, She was more than ready to sacrifice everything she stood for; her life, her soul, her morals, her innocence, her love, all were expendable if she could obtain the revenge she desired.

As they fought, Launa planned exactly how she would deal the fatal blow. She saw it all in her disturbed mind; the moment, the sight, the exultation of ending her seven year long quest. Her wound ached her terribly, which only served as a catalyst for her already raging anger and agony. She felt as if every evil thing that had befallen her was Fallery's fault. Her mind was so twisted by the Dark Side of the Force that she could not bring herself to think, feel, or act, rationally, Her bloodlust was at a fever pitch and she glared at Fallery as she bore down on him with all of her long-thwarted vengeance.

Then Fallery, in one swift statement designed to further incense Launa said the words that would begin his undoing.

"I see Master Skywalker has taken you as an apprentice, what a fool…" Fallery had more to say but Launa could not hear it, his words were drowned in that distant hum that melded with the sound of her lightsaber. She risked a moment's glance at Luke and saw him bravely battling his opponents in a calm and rational manner. There was no blind hatred in Luke, no desire to shed blood. She wondered if there ever had been, if there was she knew he had defeated it; and so must she. Luke would perpetually be the defender, and always avoid the role of aggressor. Launa now knew where her duty lay, Luke had spent hours of his time diligently instructing her, she could not betray the zealous trust he had put in her. She looked at Fallery and her hatred ceased. He was no longer the object she wished to see dead. He was a pitiable being who was tragically beyond help. Her heartbeat slowed and she settled into a methodical pattern of attack. She soothed herself with thoughts of her father, and of Luke, they both had so much faith in her and her abilities. It didn't matter that one of them had been dead for ten years, she would fight as if he were standing by her side, she would make him proud. She was her father's daughter and through her a part of him lived on, she would not shame her heritage.


End file.
